


One Shitty Day

by MadameB



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Bad Puns, Crack, Demons, Domestic Violence, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Human Pillow, I don't know what I'm doing, I'm going to need therapy, I'm so sorry, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Mild Language, Mildly Possessive Behaviour, Minor Violence, No beta we die like lilith, No smut because I can't do that with a straight face, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Please Don't Hate Me, Post-Canon, Sleepy Cuddles, Slightly Yandere Belphie, Some Spoilers, Some Spoilers - warning/synopsis in chapter notes, Swearing, Too many references to poo, Trigger - Domestic Violence, Well he is the Demon for fecal offerings, chapter spoilers, yes I think I'm funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 87,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26022829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameB/pseuds/MadameB
Summary: It had to be a dream, because there was no possible way you could be standing in a room with a glass covered ceiling, covered in what could only be described as… excrement (“just to hedge our bets”,  you had been told) in front of what appeared to be a scowling young man with dark blue-black hair and tired, glowing violet eyes.“Well this is unexpected”, he glowers then yawns. “What am I supposed to do with you?”_______In which you, dear reader, are given to Belphegor as a human sacrifice. Takes place post cannon. I'm trying very hard to keep this gender neutral - please slap my wrist if I slip up! 🙂Will be a few game spoilers in upcoming chapters - I'll do my utmost to put a note at the TOP of the work with a quick synopsis of the chapter, so you can skip it to not spoil the game.Hoping to be able to update weekly, however life is full of chaotic surprises and we'll see how that goes.
Relationships: Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!) & Reader, Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Character(s), Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Belphegor/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 549
Kudos: 377





	1. A Beginning, of sorts

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, and thanks for stopping by. I've never written a fan fiction before. Hell, I've not written since Primary School and believe me when I say that's quite some time ago lol. This is purely self indulgent, in that I'm just writing myself a story *shrugs* Blame Covid-19 for this, because I'm unemployed, bored and have too much time on my hands!
> 
> And I'm deeply, deeply sorry for all of the faecal humour. But I just can't take it out... o_O 
> 
> Anyway, I've written a couple of chapters. Let me know if you actually want more posted... being so new to this all I don't even know if it's worth continuing! Just be gentle with the criticism *grins*

It had to be a dream, didn’t it?

It _had_ to be, because there was no possible way you could be standing in a room with a glass covered ceiling, covered in what could only be described as… excrement (“just to hedge our bets”, you had been told) in front of what appeared to be a scowling young man with dark blue-black hair and tired, glowing violet eyes.

“Well this is unexpected”, he glowers then yawns. “What am I supposed to do with you?”

“Hopefully allow me to get this crap off me” you snort, slightly amused at your intended pun.

The man glowers. “You know I didn’t mean that”. Turning abruptly, he makes his way over to what can only be described as a nest of blankets and pillows, sinking down into them. “A live human sacrifice is not something I’m used to dealing with. Sacrifices thrown in caves, sure – but normally they’re not a… _human_ ” he wrinkles his nose at the word “human” like it’s similar to what you’re covered in.

“Yeah, well – I’m not used to being thrown in a cave as a sacrifice for the sake of some trumped-up arrogant morons either” you say with a scowl. “And I’m definitely not used to being rolled in… this… either” making a sweeping gesture over your torso. “That’s also a new one”

He looks at you, eyebrows raised slightly for a split second before looking away in what you could swear was an attempt to cover a smirk. The silence stretches, lengthens before he looks back at you with an inscrutable expression. “Well you’re here now. I suppose I could devour you, but I really can’t be bothered at the moment. Besides, you stink”

“No need to be rude, it’s through no fault of my own, mister”

He actually smirks this time – smirks! – before humming in acknowledgement. “True enough. I think we should get you cleaned off before I make any decisions. I’ll have to sneak you out to do it though, I don’t want Lord Muck himself discovering you until I’ve thought this through some more. Maybe even slept on it” he says with another yawn.

“What, did my untimely arrival disturb your beauty sleep?” You can’t hide the amused sarcasm – it’s not like you have much to lose at this point, so poking the metaphorical bear isn’t fazing you as much as it probably should.

“I am the personification of Sloth, so yes, actually you did.” he says with a sigh, rising from the blanket nest and stretching. You didn’t expect his joints to pop when he stretched, with him being a demon. But then your experience with demons was limited to, well, no experience at all.

“I didn’t know. Actually, I don’t know anything about you at all, not even your name” you say quietly.

He starts, and looks a little surprised before his features fall back to his neutral expression. “So they said nothing then? Well. I suppose they did drug you.” He falls silent for a moment, mulling over something and looking you over. You can’t help but notice how pretty his eyes are. Purple and orange, and like nothing you’ve ever seen. Actually, all of him is pretty in a delicate, tired sort of way.

Good thing you’re not into pretty or you’d be in trouble, you think to yourself.

He breaks the silence. “Belphegor”

“What?” you say, rousing yourself from your thoughts.

“My name. Belphegor. You may as well call be Belphie for now.” He turns on his heel, and heads to the door. “This way”, he states, not looking back.

A bit bemused that he didn’t ask your name, you follow quietly behind him down the steep stairwell. He stops at the intersection at the end, and when satisfied there’s nobody around motions you forward. After another set of stairs and another pause he finally ushers you into a dimly lit room, one side painted deep purple and the other bright orange.

“Good” he breathes. “He’s not here”

You frown at him. “Who, Lord Muck?”

Surprised, he barks a laugh “No, Lucifer won’t come in here unless he wants to berate one of us. My twin, Beelzebub”

He makes to touch your arm, then thinks better of it and strides over to a door. “Bathroom is through here”, he says, opening the door. “I’ll try to find you something clean to wear. Here’s a towel”

The towel he hands you is deep purple and sinfully soft. Stepping through the doorway and closing the door softly in your wake, you begin stripping off your offensive, crusty clothing. As you step under the rain-shower and start to scrub your skin and hair, you cannot help but breathe a sigh of relief as you finally make yourself clean again. The steam and the heat from the water is heavenly after waking up in a strange place after the events of today.

Mulling over said events in your head, you think back to the beginning of the day. Stepping out of your car on a routine shopping trip to grab a few essentials. Being accosted by a group of people - you never did get to see their faces in the speed of the abduction – and dragged into the boot of a car, locked in that small space for… a day? Felt like a week. When they finally dragged you out, sprayed with with the offending substance that you have finally (thankfully!) removed from your person. You couldn’t blame them for wearing protective clothing, even if it meant you’d never be able to identify any of them in a line up. Injecting your arm with something that made you feel dreadfully sleepy. The last thing you remember was being dropped unceremoniously into a hole in the ground.

Fun times. And it looks like it’s only about to get… _funner_. That’s not even a word, you know, but it still feels appropriate.

Finally clean, you step out of the shower, dry yourself off and this is when you realise that you don’t have anything clean in the room. After some deliberation – there’s no way that you’re stepping out into the other room with a strange man (demon or not) wrapped only in a towel – you open the door a crack and peek your head around the edge.

“Ummm. Excuse me, but I kinda need that clean clothing right about now. Did you manage to find anything?”

Silence for a moment, then soft footfalls.

“Nothing as suitable as I had hoped, but it will have to do” Belphie states, handing you a folded pile of clothing.

“Anything has to be better than what I arrived in. Thank you”, you say with sincerity, closing the door. You take stock of the clothing… oversized tee and sweat pants. Not your look, but right now you’re just glad it’s not something like hot pants and a boob tube, for one thing it wouldn’t suit your figure and for another, you don’t want to give the I’m-a-tasty-snack impression either. The tee hangs down to your knees, and the pants are way too big so you fold the hem up and tie them tightly at the waist.

As you open the door, you see the demon you’ve become a sacrificial lamb to leaning against the headboard of his bed and looking at the ceiling. His head turns sharply as you exit, and you find yourself on the receiving end of those beautiful eyes again, as he silently looks at you.

Fiddling with the sleeve of your shirt, you ask quietly “Now what?”

“I was wondering the same thing. As I said, my usual offerings are somewhat different.” He looks thoughtful for a moment, propping his chin with his hand. “I’m just too tired to think it through” Belphie yawns and cocks his head on the side. “Come here”.

You don’t move. You really don’t want to be ordered around by this… being, for want of a better word. But he growls, and says “I said, come here” and you know you have no choice in the matter. It doesn’t stop you moving slowly towards what you figure must be your final moments in this mortal body. Though being told to lay on the bed is unexpected, you figure this is all taking a slightly different turn and not one you’re best pleased with. When the demon rolls you on the side and takes the big spoon position, you’re surprised and concerned. Until he’s asleep against you, then it’s just surprise and confusion. He holds you firmly to his chest, like you’re some sort of stuffed toy. As you lay there, your eyes become heavy and keeping yourself awake becomes harder and harder. You tell yourself you can’t give in to the exhaustion, being so vulnerable is a mistake, but the day’s events finally catch up with you and you pass from the waking world to the resting.


	2. Beelzebub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beel meets the protagonist. Belphie starts to show his possessive side.

Waking has never been easy for you. Your psyche never has enjoyed coming back to reality even under normal circumstances. As you blearily come back to yourself, you wonder how on earth you managed to pull your sheet up to wrap it around your arm and torso so tightly.

Your heart stops and the memories come back to you as you hear “So you’re awake then, sleeping beauty?”

Groaning, you reply muzzily “So it wasn’t a dream? Dammit. I’d really hoped it was”

“No such luck, Princess” Belphie replies.

“Don’t call me Princess” you reply hotly, waking fully. He snickers. “Sure thing Princess”

You wriggle until you can face him and look him dead in the eye. “I mean it. Do. Not. Call. Me. That. It’s not my name, and I’m not some sweet little creature who can be kept in a gilded cage. Lay off’

He looks surprised at your outburst, and quite amused. “You’re a brave one, aren’t you. I could call you pillow if you prefer. You did make for a comfortable sleep”

You huff and turn your back on him. Pillow definitely is better than Princess but you’d _never_ admit it. The silence grows, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Considering you’re currently cuddled up to a being who has done only the Father knows how many evil deeds, it definitely shouldn’t feel this comfortable, and you’re internally surprised that it does.

After a significant pause, Belphie says “You don’t seem afraid of me. Why?”

“Well, I am somewhat” you admit. “But you’re the one in control of when I step off the mortal coil here, and I figure that I have nothing much to lose either way. I just hope you don’t make it too painful”

He hums his acknowledgement to your statement and pulls you closer to him. After a few minutes of him silently holding you to him, he says “I have been thinking”

“Did it hurt?” you say, then curse yourself for your lack of brain-to-mouth filter. Thankfully though, you hear a quiet chuckle as he says “No, I’d had enough sleep. I think I might keep you around for a bit. You know, I need a new pillow. And you’re more entertaining than I’d expected”

You don’t answer, but your mind is running a mile an hour. Keep you around? That was unexpected. There must be an ulterior motive, surely… or maybe he’s just not hungry right now? Do souls even fill a demon like food fills a human?

Belphie continues after a pause, “We will need to keep you out of the way of other demons, of course – though we’ll have to tell Beel, that’s unavoidable…”

As he is saying this, the door to the room opens and a tall, muscular man with bright flame-orange hair walks in and says in a deep voice “Tell me what?” as he glances to where you both are. He spots you instantly, and… shifts, that’s the only way your poor mortal brain can describe it. Horns wrapping gently across his temple, wings fluttering behind him. “I’m hungry” he says.

You feel something behind you, a rush of air or electrons as Belphegor growls “No Beel. Mine” as his grip tightens on you to a new, almost painful level, claws piercing the clothing and just touching your tender flesh. He must have shifted too, you think, wincing. The newcomer – Beel – takes a menacing step forward and says “But Belphie….”

In a flash, you’re behind Belphie, his tail curled around your waist possessively, lifting you further away from the conflict “Mine, Beel” he growls. He glares daggers at the bigger, muscular demon. A dark aura surrounds his body.

“But Belphie you don’t even like humans, and I am so _hungry_!” Beel pouts, rubbing his stomach and putting emphasis on the “hungry”.

“Well tough. The human is my sacrifice, not yours. What happens to them is for me to decide. In the meantime, I have snacks in the bottom draw of my dresser” Belphie says.

Beel’s eyes shine and he immediately turns to rummage through the draw. As he starts consuming the snacks, not even unrapping them from the plastic, he transforms back to his more humanoid form. “Care to fill me in on why there’s a human in our room?”

The aura dissipates slowly from Belphegor; however his curled horns and tufted tail stay firmly in place as he sits on the bed. “Remember that group of scientists I told you about?”

Beel snorts “How could I forget?”

“Well, they decided to sacrifice a live human covered in faeces this time into a cave. They definitely have my attention now. I’m not sure how to… _repay_ them for their little gift yet”

Beel looks at you, then back at Belphie. “They covered them in….”

“Yeah” Belphie growls. “Not a pleasant gift wrap, I will say”

You snort “I assure you it was unpleasant for me too”

Beel looks surprised at your interjection, and Belphie glances at you, amusement written on his features. “So what exactly do you plan to do with the human?” asks Beel.

Belphie is quiet for a moment, looking down at his feet. With your body behind him on the bed you can’t see his expression to try reading it. He sounds tired as he says “I don’t know. They amuse me, and they’re better than the pillows I have to sleep with, so I’d like to keep them around for a bit.” He looks up suddenly at Beel. “Any suggestions on Lucifer? Should we try hiding this from him? I don’t fancy the… _discussion_ when he finds out”

Beel laughed heartily at this, a rich, warm, joyful sound. “Well better you than me. And you know it will be worse if he finds out later rather than sooner. Still, it’s up to you and if I can help I will. I’ve never seen you so enamoured with one of your sacrifices before, though I guess they were not exactly living” He pauses, looking sidelong at Belphie. “Just remember what happened when Satan brought home the cats. Lucifer has not beem overly impressed with pets since”

Belphegor and I snort simultaneously, and he looks back with an amused expression as he fades back into his humanoid form “Pet huh. See, now I can call you Princess”

Glowering at him you say, “If you want me to answer, you won’t” and he chuckles at you.

“Well, princess, let’s take you to Lucifer and get this over with” he grins, and turns to his drawer, rummaging around in it for a moment. “But you better wear this”

In his hands is a faded black ribbon necklace, the large charm dangling from it looking very much like an upside-down Pi symbol. “Why?” you ask.

“Why? It will mark you as mine. Kind of like a collar but much prettier” he smirks, knowing you’re going to hate it. “If you prefer, I can have it engraved with Princess later”

You give him a dirty look “I really don’t want to wear a collar thanks”

“I’m not giving you the choice. Now bend your head so I can put it on” When you don’t immediately move, he growls “Now”

You sigh and lower your head so he can put the hateful thing on you. The charm feels cold to the touch. “It’s also a protective amulet” he says. “It will keep others from doing anything… _unsavoury_ to you. I should have put it on you the minute I brought you to the room, but I didn’t remember until I’d managed to get a good sleep”

You look at him quietly for a moment, not sure whether to thank him. Being a possession is not going to come easily, independence is too ingrained for your quick submission. He looks quite smug as he says “Come on then. Time to face Lord Muck in his lair”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never understood in my (not admitting how many, a lady.... or in my case we would say "loidy" lol... never does) many years WHY I'm attracted to possessive characters. Though in retrospect, maybe it's just a case of being treated like an accessory in many, if not all, of my relationships that the thought of someone actually wanting me for who I am around becomes appealing - and Belphie definitely is attracted the character's personality in this fiction. We must pity the character, dear reader, as they unfortunately have a touch of my sense of humour and sarcasm when I'm comfortable around someone. 
> 
> And in case you're wondering... after research, apparently not only is Belphegor the demon of that which exits our body, his symbol was an upside down Pi. While it's not exactly that in cannon, I guess maybe it's the personal one where maybe the other is just for the sin itself? Just a thought. I think too much o.O


	3. Lord "Lucifer" Muck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lucifer meets Belphie's new pet.

After being led for some time down a labyrinth of corridors and stairwells, you find yourself in an enormous library, wall to ceiling covered in books. While the room is huge, and it’s obvious that it’s devoid of any other being. Raising an eyebrow at the being next to you, you ask “So he’s invisible? Or is he a bat hanging from the ceiling somewhere?”

He grins at you. “Nope, he’s more of a peacock than a bat. And he’s not here, he’s in his secret study”

 _Oh stars preserve me_ , you think. _This is only getting weirder_. “Right. And it’s such a secret obviously everyone knows about it and you obviously know where the entrance is”

“Well”, Belphie says “it’s kind of an open secret?” He then proceeds to yell “Lucifer, let me in. I need to speak with you”

There’s an ominous creak (apparently oiled hinges would dull the experience) and a voice comes from behind the shelf that has swung outwards. “Enter”

Following on the heels of your demon – because whether or not you like it, he kind of is yours because you’re his – you enter and are met by the sight of a beautiful man with jet black hair dressed like he belongs in a different century. “What is it this time” he says tiredly. When he looks up, he glances first at Belphie then you. His red eyes look cold, and… furious? Definitely furious when he spits “What is _that_ doing here? What exactly do you think you are doing, Belphegor?”

 _That_ huh. You’ve been called many things, but there’s a new one.

The demon who brought you here just shrugs nonchalantly and says “Let me make it quick and simple. Live human sacrifice. I think I want to keep it. A pet might be nice”

The other demon – Lucifer, obviously – looks incredulously at Belphie for a moment, then pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “When?”

“Earlier today”

“And you didn’t think to come here immediately?”

“No. Firstly, I thought cleaning was in order due to the fact they had been covered in shit. Secondly, I was tired and needed to sleep on what course of action I wanted to take”

Lucifer just sighs heavily and studies you. Considering how furious he was a moment ago, he appears to have calmed very quickly which you found surprising. He is, however, looking at you like you’re the reason he’s going to have a headache at any moment.

“No” he says after a significant pause. “You know the rules on pets. And you remember the Satan incident”

Belphie hums his agreement. “Sure I do, I doubt any of us could forget that. But I doubt there will be any more live humans sacrificed to me in a hurry. I intend visiting that group shortly to give them a…. _reward_ ” The pause before reward and inflection he puts on it sounds ominous. “One would be enough to satisfy me. Besides, I thought you’d be happy that I was taking an… _interest_ in humans”

Lucifer places his hand on his chest and looks between the two of you, his eyebrows going so high you wonder if they will end up under his hairline. Meeting his gaze is hard, but you’ll be damned if you don’t do it. After some moments of staring into your eyes - the Good Lord only knows what he’s looking for - he says to you “You’re an odd one, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been told so” you say. “Eccentric is a much nicer term though, wouldn’t you say?”

His lips quirk ever so slightly at this. “And why should I not just order you to be executed immediately?”

“I’m rather attached to the idea of staying alive, thanks” you say. “So if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to stay that way for just a bit longer”

He stares at you, surprise and amusement at the fact that your reply is a little snarky and you don’t seem afraid of him written on his features. “I see why Belphie would like you”

“They’re a great pillow” Belphie offers.

Lucifer looks between the two of you for a while longer, thinking. One minute grows to two and stretches to five, and the longer he doesn’t speak, the more anxious you feel. You shift on your feet and when he looks back at you again, you raise your eyebrows in the unspoken question of what he wants to do. Rubbing his temple, he sighs. “Ok. You may have your pet”

“Fantastic” Belphie says, and grins at you.

“However, Belphegor, there are conditions” says the arrogant demon before you. “First, any issues that arise from the keeping of this pet are yours to sort out. Secondly, you are responsible for their well-being and all of their needs, financially or otherwise. Thirdly” and here he smirks maliciously “you are responsible for not only informing your brothers but keeping the human safe from them”

Belphie grins at him. “Conditions one and two are not an issue. I’ve thought it all through. And the second part of the third condition also won’t be a problem with this” he touches the pendant on your throat “around their neck”

Lucifer obviously hadn’t noticed this, and he leans forward scrutinising the charm. “Clever” he murmurs quietly, surprise obvious in his tone. “I see you have considered this more than I thought” Looking at you, he says “Welcome to the Devildom, human. Hell as your kind refer to it. If you cause no issues for me, you will find that we will get along just fine. Cross me or the Monarchy of the Devildom …” he pauses “and it will be the _last_ thing you do. Now if you excuse me, I have work to do” and with this last statement, he turns his back on you both, silently dismissing you. _Arrogant twat_ , you think to yourself.

Leaving the room behind your newly “approved” owner, you quietly mutter under your breath “Lord Muck indeed”.

Belphie apparently has great hearing, as he looks over his shoulder laughing quietly. “C’mon. Let’s get you back to the room and discuss how we’re going to work this with Beel”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still going with this. There's now seven (!?!) chapters written... trying to keep the boys in character and GN pronouns as much as possible. If you see anything, do feel free to let me know!
> 
> Sorry Luci stans, I'm not one of your number. Don't misunderstand - I don't hate him.... however he'd hate me, and I'd be such a brat to him LMAO.... On the upside, he's all yours!!! :P


	4. An Excitable Hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you make the acquaintance of Asmodius. Asmo gets a shock.

You feel a bit overwhelmed. In one day, you’ve become a “pet” to a demon – one of the rulers of hell, you’ve now been informed – and he’s not attempted to hurt you which you find very odd indeed. Well… at least not yet anyway. You’ve met three of the seven brothers in this short time - brothers-in-arms, from what you can gather from the conversation between Beel and Belphie. Beel sits on his bed quite cheerfully snacking on a pile of crunchy things, the like of which you have never seen in your entire existence. He’s quite nice and seems kind, now that he’s not trying to devour you. Belphie is sitting on the bed with his arm around you and his head on your shoulder, treating you once again like his own personal pillow.

“So” Beel says to Belphie. “They will sleep in your bed, obviously. What about clothing? You can’t keep them in yours.”

Belphie yawns. “I guess you’re right about the clothes. I suppose I’ll have to muster enough energy to do some shopping with them at Majolish” he looks at you. “Maybe we can wash what you came in, so at least you’ll look a little more presentable. I can get the Little D’s onto it shortly”

“I’d prefer that. But I must admit, it’s a summer outfit and it seems quite cold here” you say. “I do feel the cold, and can get unwell if I’m cold for too long”

He looks at you thoughtfully for a moment, then wraps you tightly in one of his multitude of blankets from the bed - over your head and around your torso. It’s a sweet gesture and one you’d never expect from a demon. “Thank you”, you quietly murmur. Beel smiles at the interaction, and you wonder what he’s thinking – but you’re not given long to think on it as the bedroom door flies open on its hinges and hits the wall behind hard. A man enters, squealing his excitement as he starts talking almost too fast for you to follow and you wonder where in Hell (Devildom?) he’s getting the air from.

“Oooh sorry about the wall! Where’s the human? I’m so excited to meet them!!! Are they cute? You know they’re going to love me, I mean everyone does, how could they not I’m so beautiful but you must show me the human I’m too excited for words and….”

This stream of verbal diarrhea is interrupted by Belphie’s raised voice “Asmo, do you not know how to knock first?”

The strawberry blonde being pauses for a moment and takes a breath in (there it is) and says “Oh Belphie, I’m so sorry please forgive me I just wanted to see the human and what have you done with them they’re wrapped in a blanket like a mummy surely you’re not going to keep them like that are you, you must let me buy them some cute clothes and take them shopping and… OH!”

The pillow that Belphie threw – deep purple and white diamonds – hits him squarely in the face and you quietly snicker. This one is overwhelming and reminds you more of the middle school girls that you avoided like the plague. Belphie says “This is Asmodeus. Who will not” and he turns his attention back to Asmodeus “be laying a finger on you, not even his pinky without my express permission. Do you understand, Asmo? This human is _mine_ ”

Asmo looks at him, surprise evident on his face as he picks up on the possessive inflection. “Wow. I’ve never heard you act so greedy, Belphie, especially about a human – we all know how you feel about them. The way you’re acting, anyone would think you were Mammon!” He pauses, ignoring the glower being sent his way by Belphie. “But I can at least meet them, right? I’d meet them eventually anyway, so you will let me, won’t you? Pleeeeeese?”

You roll your eyes and pull the blanket off your head. Like it or not, Asmo is right, he would eventually meet you anyway, so why prolong the suspense? He gasps as you unceremoniously uncover yourself, and gushes “Oooooh it’s so cute! You got lucky with this one, some of them aren’t nearly so cute! Look at their eyes, they’re so pretty! And look at their skin, it’s just divine! A bit dry, though, you must let me give them a spa night” a very short pause “What on earth are they wearing, surely that’s your clothing? Ugh, you have no idea of styles for humans, Belphie. You simply must let me take them shopping. We can make them look like the cutest thing ever!”

It’s at about this point you zone out of the ever-flowing stream of words coming from the excitable and turn to look at your owner-demon, mouthing “What the actual Fuck” at him. He fails to hide his wicked glee at your reaction and pulls you a bit tighter to his side eliciting a squeal from Asmo who, naturally due to his designated Sin of Lust, noticed the affectionate interaction.

“Ooooh Belphie” he nearly sings in a terribly teasing voice, “If I didn’t know any better I would _swear_ you had a crush on this human!”

“Don’t be ridiculous” Belphie scoffs. “As if I’d have feelings like that for a human. I do fancy them as a pillow though, they’re quite comfortable” He looks away from you, attempting to hide a dusting of pink on his cheeks. Is he… blushing? Surely not. “Actually Asmo, I was considering taking the human shopping for clothing tomorrow. If you promise to help and not hinder, I _might_ consider letting you come….”

The shriek of joy nearly sends you through the roof, it’s just too high-pitched for your ears to take after such a long day. “You’re the best little brother I could ever have! Thank you! You won’t regret it! I will make you so cute” he says, addressing you now and coming closer. “We are going to make _so many_ _demons_ jealous of our house pet, they’ll just… OUCH!!!”

He had reached out to touch your arm, but the instant that Asmo made contact with your skin, you felt a cold tingling from the charm at your neck, and he drew his arm back in shock, shaking his hand as if he had been electrocuted. Belphie smirked “Warned you not to touch my human, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but I didn’t think you meant…. Isn’t that overkill?”

“Well now you know. Don’t touch them without permission, ever. And do you seriously think that’s overkill? Demons will want to try their luck, you know it as well as I do. It’s necessary”

Asmo, finally over his fit of excitement, quietly says “Well when you put it that way, no I suppose not. OK then, I’ll leave you guys for the night, and swing by nice and early in the morning. Sound good?”

“Yeah sure. If you can wake me”

Beel interjects with “I’ll wake him, don’t worry Asmo” earning a flat look from Belphie.

As Asmodeus takes his leave, blowing kisses in the air on his way out the door at everyone, Belphie rolls his eyes and says “Early night then, I guess. C’mon, Pillow, let’s get some rest before we have to deal with the squealing tomorrow” He pulls you down to lay against him – he does like being the big spoon, apparently, and snuggles up against you, holding you tightly and nuzzling into your neck. It is surprising how natural it feels after just a few hours to be this being’s body pillow. There are definitely much worse fates that could have befallen you by now in Hell, you muse.

You look across the room at Beel who is smiling gently, a soft look in his eyes which you find puzzling. All he says is “Sleep well. I’ll wake you both early” and goes back to his snacks – which reminds you that you haven’t eaten since the morning when pulled away from your car. But the demon behind you is soothing and comfortable, and you find yourself drifting into sleep quickly.

* * *

_You’re in a green, sunlit field. You wonder what you’re doing here, and you know there’s something not quite right – it’s too quiet, no bird calls, no rustling from insects or small mammals. As you walk, you see a figure. Belphegor, you realise. Walking to his side, you turn and look at him. He seems… content, a half smile playing on his lips and as he glances at you, his eyes are shining._

_Looking into your eyes he smiles. “It’s lovely here, isn’t it” he says._

_You look back at him, thoughtful and when you realise, you state it aloud “I’m dreaming, aren’t I”_

_Surprise crosses his face. He looks you over and says “You’re not stupid are you. Hmmm. Good, I’m glad my pillow is a clever one, it will make my life much more entertaining” He then smirks and says “Yes, you’re dreaming, and I’ve decided to enter your dream. Weave it into something more pleasant, you were starting to go into the memories of what that lot did to you, and frankly I didn’t want to wake yet. This is one of my memories from… before.” Turning away, he doesn’t elaborate further and you don’t question. He reaches for your hand, lacing his pale, delicate fingers through yours as he leans his shoulder against you companionably._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always had a feeling that, as much as a sweetheart as Asmo would be, he'd be a headache on legs hahaha.


	5. Majolish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping to ensure you're covered appropriately has never been so hard...

Majolish

Shopping for clothes they said. You really didn’t expect it to be such an… ordeal.

Hours. Days? It _felt_ like a _week_ of trying on everything and anything that is barely there – a couple of ladies’ handkerchiefs if you’re lucky – from the unbelievable amount of stock in the store. Asmo picking out everything that he thought you’d be cute in and absolutely nothing remotely like your normal style.

Belphie sat with his head against the wall, looking sleepily amused at your gentle battle with the fashionista demon but not coming to your rescue _at all_. You send him the skunk eye on multiple occasions, but he just has a shit-eating grin on his dial. He’s not going to be any help, you know it.

In the end, it only stops when you raise your voice at Asmo. “STOP!!!” He looks surprised and finally pauses in his effusive praise of your current ensemble. “I know what suits me and what I like to wear. Now I know you’re trying to help, but if you think I’ll wear this” you say, hands on hips, referring to the outfit which is barely there on your frame, “you’ve got another think coming. Please. Your style might be impeccable on someone else but it’s not for me!”

Belphie is snickering, the little shit. Asmo, however, seems to be on the verge of tears as he says “I just wanted to make you beautiful”

“Asmo” you sigh in exasperation “you can. You _will_! Just take my personality and body frame into account, and we can _definitely_ make every demon in Hell as jealous as you wish. But surely you have to know that I need to be confident in what I’m wearing to rock it properly”

You’ve won, and he knows it, looking thoughtfully surprised at your little exasperated outburst. He finally hums to himself and replies “Petal, you’re right. Let’s go back out on the shop floor and we’ll find something you feel confident in”

Obviously you’re a glutton for punishment, you realise, because if you’d worded it differently you may not have to go through more of this. Groaning quietly, you hear that little shit Bephegor cackling behind you, and you give him a filthy look as you are dragged back to the racks upon racks of clothing.

~~~~~

In the end, it only took another couple of hours until you had Asmo content to leave the store, both of you with hands full of bags. Belphie had complained about the cost briefly, however Asmo had generously decided to go halves “We _have_ to have a fashionable pet, my dear brother” was his reasoning, one which again had Belphie reminding you both who you belonged to – only making Asmo smirk and tease him mercilessly about his affection for a human.

Once Asmo had stopped forcing a look on you, your normal taste in clothing fascinated him, and he was excited to add his own flair to it. Never in your life had you met someone as excitable as him, and you were thoroughly exhausted from his energy. Glancing at your “owner”, you couldn’t help but feel thankful that he was so much less… bouncy, or you’d be wishing for your demise to come quicker – Asmo, though a sweetheart, was a demon perfect for small doses in your opinion.

Stopping for a late lunch at a little café, Belphie ordered on your behalf without asking – explaining that many of the items on the menu would be either very unusual to your palate or may not be suitable for humans. The simple sandwich was actually quite good, a slight green hue to the bread not putting you off in the slightest. Fortunately it tasted something like a BLT, and even though there had been a light breakfast tray brought to you this morning prior to leaving you found yourself famished. You just tried not to look at the dishes in front of your companions – Belphie’s looked ever so slightly like brains, and the other… well, Asmo’s looked like it was slightly inappropriate parts of some creature. _Kind of appropriate for the Lust demon_ , you think to yourself.

After completing your meal, Asmo tried to push all manner of extremely sweet baked goods on you to which you politely declined – unsuccessfully, as he _insisted_ you lick the icing off his extremely pink cupcake. Just the tiny taste made you wonder if you had diabetes yet.

“They’re my favourite!” he effused. “So sweet, just like me!” He looks directly into your eyes, his pupils growing larger. “Don’t you think so? You must think so. Belphie, you _have_ to let me loan them for a night here or there. I could make them _very very happy…._ ”

“ **NO** ” growled Belphegor. “This human is _mine_. And they are _not_ going to be subject to your particular tastes. Don’t ask again. And stop trying to charm them, it’s not going to work on them with my charm around their neck”

Asmo can’t hide his surprise at the vehemence in Belphie’s tone. “Oh my, dear brother”, he smirks. “You really are being very possessive with your pet, dear. Someone might think you actually _do_ have feelings for the human”

“Knock it off” Belphie replies crankily. “I’ve had enough of listening to you. Time to head back, and either keep your mouth shut or don’t come with us”

After settling the bill, the three of you start to walk home without further conversation. The walk isn’t long, but not overly short either and the longer it takes the heavier the bags are getting. Belphie must be keenly observing you, as he takes half of the bags. Asmo in turn, keenly observant to all interactions between you since his brother’s outburst, smirks at you but says nothing.

You’re led back to the bedroom, and you unceremoniously stretch as you put the bags down. Asmo takes his leave, making you promise to sit next to him at dinner and _insisting_ to you and Belphie that you _must_ have a spa night with him soon to which you both eventually reluctantly agree. After making you pinky promise (which, seriously, you feel is a ridiculous request from a demon who is who knows how many millennia old) that you will wear one of your new outfits that he helped you choose (obviously to showcase his work) he takes his leave. The sudden silence after spending the day with him makes your ears ring but is most certainly welcome.

After a moment, you ask Belphie “So where are we going to put these? Or shall we just leave them on the floor?”

“Hadn’t thought that far ahead, to be honest” Belphie yawns. “And I’m tired. I think we need a nap”

No sooner than this thought is out of his mouth than there’s a ruckus outside the door… a crash, and you think you hear Beel’s voice muffled through the wood saying something… you catch the word “careful”. Then there’s a loud stream of words…. “Oy – not – fault… you – careful….”

The door opens, and Beel backs in carrying a large piece of furniture on one end, obviously someone else is on the other but you can’t see anything yet except for a shock of white hair over the top of the large item. Beel spots you both, and huffs “Got you guys (huff) this as a welcome (huff) present” and directs the other entity to put the – you realise it’s a large wardrobe – flush against the wall opposite the bed you now share with Belphie. There’s no way you can hide the large smile of surprise at Beel’s kindness; he is obviously pleased with your reaction by the way he grins back at you.

As it turns, you get a better view of the other wardrobe-carrier. White, messy hair, flashy jewellery and obviously expensive clothes. And sunglasses. Sunglasses inside, seriously? You wonder if this means they’re going to be a complete tosser, or just a partial one.

Belphie notes the look on your face (it would be lovely to have a poker face, but you’ve never been fortunate enough to hide your thoughts) and grins. “This is my brother, Mammon. He’s scum, by the way”

You’re taken aback by the statement – what the hell kind of demon is so bad that another demon is prompted to call them “scum”? – when the newcomer spouts “Hey show your older brother a little respect!” then directed at you “You can call me _The_ _Great_ Mammon. And while you’re at it, hand over anything of value on ya, if you value your life”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no way I'd shop with Asmo. His idea of fashion may be on point, but my energy levels wouldn't meet his! Writing this made me feel exhausted lmao...
> 
> What a day. I've written nothing (NOTHING!!!) but I've applied for a job and felt pretty darned bad about myself - I'm sure there's so many of us like this at the moment. Covid sucks.
> 
> But, I've knitted a beanie for a long-standing pen-friend of mine who deserves something good after the year he has had. Maybe I'll find the brain to write Ch9 later... o.O 
> 
> Your comments are my mana. Thank you all for your kindness - I'm loving the fact that my strange brain is giving people something good in these strange times. Sending you all much love xx


	6. Constant Reinforcement Usually Equals Low Self Esteem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we're introduced to Mammon. Who is sort of helpful. Kind of.

You look incredulously at the white-haired demon before you, demanding your possessions. “I came here with nothing but the clothes on my back. Where exactly do you think I’d keep valuables? In my….”

“MAMMON” Belphie raises his voice to speak over you; he is smirking though, apparently he knows _exactly_ where you were going to refer to keeping valuables “Stop harassing my pet. They don’t have anything you can have. And you will keep your scummy hands off them and anything I give them. Understood?”

Mammon snorts “I’m not scummy stop calling me that. And who’s going to stop me touching them if I want?”

He may be attempting to stand over you, but the fact is you really don’t want to see anyone hurt. “Apparently my so-called collar pendant thing will stop you. I don’t recommend your trying, Asmo’s attempt seemed to sting him”

“Stop ruining my fun” Belphie pouts. “I would have _loved_ to see him try”

“Didn’t want to make him cry” you quip back, and the pout quickly becomes a grin

“Oy human, what makes you think The Great Mammon would cry? I’m the bravest demon here. Nobody is as tough as me” That much boasting makes you think he’s got to be lying.

“What a load of rubbish, Mammon” says Belphie. “You cried through the TSL marathon, so I’m told. And you also are terrified of horror movies!”

“I-I’m n-not frightened of horror movies” stutters Mammon. “A-and I wasn’t c-crying through TSL. I had…. Something in my eye. Yeah! That was it, there was something in my eye!”

Poor Beel is holding his tongue, looking between Belphie and Mammon with a frustrated look on his face. Taking pity on him, you try to defuse the situation, saying “I hate horror movies” They turn to look at you, and you continue “What? I don’t like them. Don’t care if anyone else does, just don’t make me watch them thank you very much”

“Y-yeah?” says Mammon, looking surprised with a hint of pink tinting the tips of his ears. “W-well yeah, probably because you haven’t had anyone brave with ya to keep you safe. What you need is an owner who will protect you from demons and scary movies and all sorta stuff. Belphie should be giving you to me”

That, of course, is enough to tip your demon over. “The human is _mine_ and I will _never_ give them to you. Now _get out_ before I _throw_ you out” You can see an ominous aura around Belphie, and his horns are starting to appear.

“Woah hold on bro! I don’t want ya smelly old human. Pah. Keep it!!” He looks at Belphie for a moment “Anyway. What made you want to keep it anyway? Ida thought someone like you would want ta rip them to shreds”

You look at Belphie with raised eyebrows as he glowers at Mammon and states flatly “Well you were wrong, weren’t you.”

Beel finally speaks. “Mammon, thank you for helping get that wardrobe up here with me. I’ll bring the Grimm I promised to you shortly, perhaps you should go so that we can get this floor cleaned up. Unless you want to do some more work?”

“Not unless ya pay me” snorts Mammon.

“I already am… but I _suppose_ I could throw in a _little_ more” Beel says magnanimously.

The next hour is spent setting up your new clothing and accessories in your wardrobe. It’s obviously second-hand, but it has such a lovely Art Deco flair to it that you adore it immensely – and you make sure to let Beel know how much you appreciate his kindness. He looks so happy at your enthusiasm, though he’s not a lot of help setting things up – he’s too busy eating. Mammon is less help and more hindrance in the beginning, trying to hang things the wrong way round and not understanding why they won’t stay on the hanger, telling the clothes that they are stupid among other insults, as if that is going to make a difference. Eventually you just direct him to hand you the hanger and garments and you do it yourself.

Belphie is too busy laying on the bed laughing at your attempted diplomacy with the silly second-born to be of any use at all in the proceedings. When he opens a bag of underwear – not something you knew you had as it was not something you'd picked, complete with a note that states _You never know when you might need this, now that you’re under new ownership – and if he doesn’t take kindly to it, come see me. Asmo_ _😉_ \- Mammon drops it all over the floor as if his hand has been burned, starts stuttering and turns scarlet – a feat for him, with his tanned skin. You turn scarlet as well, the lingerie is _way_ too risqué for anything you would have picked unless you were… _extremely_ intimately involved with someone – and as it stands, right now you’re _definitely_ _nowhere_ near the point of wearing any of it. You wonder how one goes about maiming a demon… maybe at dinner you might “accidentally” brush against Asmo, hopefully giving him a little “shock”.

Belphie however is laughing so hard he is crying. Beel, seeing the discomfort of both Mammon and yourself, walks over with his mouth full, quickly scoops it all up and dumps it unceremoniously in a drawer. Swallowing as he pushes the drawer closed, he says “Deal with that lot later”. You thank him with your eyes, and he gives you a small smile before returning to his main hobby of eating _all_ the things.

You take a breath and glance at Mammon – he’s unable to look you in the eye, and he’s muttering something about perverts under his breath. Seeing a _demon_ so embarrassed about underthings is just too much and you start to chuckle yourself. “Oy human don’t laugh at me!!!”

“Oh sweetie, I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing with you” you giggle.

“I’m not laughing” he says, looking at you. Apparently your laugh is infectious, though, and he starts chuckling himself. “Ha. You are now” you laugh at him.

With the tension diffused, the work goes fairly quickly. Mammon starts to talk about himself – how great he is, his modelling jobs, what awesome possessions he owns, how everyone thinks he’s wonderful. It’s obviously overkill, and you wonder how someone so pretty – he is pretty, you realise – has such low self-esteem to have to build himself up constantly. As he hands you the last item to be put away, you smile and say “Thank you, Mammon. I appreciate your helping me with this, you’ve been a great help”

Mammon starts, blushes and stutters “O-oh, o-of c-course” then gathers himself and says “’Course, it’s a privilege for a human to have The Great Mammon help ‘em. You should be grateful” then looks away from you. You glance over at Belphie, who is glaring at Mammon; but when he looks at you and you smile at him, the smile that crosses his features is genuine and amused.

As he takes his leave, Mammon blusters at Beel about his payment which is dutifully promised to him within the hour. “See ya. For a human, I suppose you’re ok. Sort of. Don’t get the wrong idea though, humans suck”. He manages to look embarrassed for a split second then ducks his head and heads off.

Both Beel and Belphie are chuckling. “I think he likes your human” says Beel.

“He best not get any funny ideas” Belphie growls. “You know how possessive he was with……” he looks at you and trails off. After a pause, he changes the subject. “I need a nap before dinner. Come here, Pillow – I’m going to sleep better with you”

You realise that you won’t have a choice, but it’s not really a problem this time; being with Asmo and Mammon has been draining. So without further comment, you slide into the next of soft furnishings and scoot your back to the sleepy demon. Beel chuckles “It appears he’s training you well”

“Not really”, you say. “Small spoon is much more comfortable, in my humble opinion. Thank you again for the wardrobe, you really are the best”

Eyes glowing at the praise, Beel said “I’m glad you like it. I’m glad you’re both contented. Sleep if you can, I’ll wake you so you can change for dinner”

Belphegor murmurs sleepily and pulls you closer. You can feel his breath in your hair. “Thanks Beel. Mmm. I think I will have good dreams”

You roll your eyes at Beel before closing them, and within a short space of time you’re both asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day of not writing anything. OK well perhaps that's a tiny bit incorrect as a) I have written a knitting pattern and b) yesterday I wrote something, which I have not read through and as I was tired, who the hell knows if it's readable LOL.  
> I shall re-visit it in a moment I think.
> 
> Next chapter revisits events from Ch15 in the game. I will need to work on the spoiler/synopsis 🙂


	7. Bonding with the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ****Warning*** Game Spoilers Ahead! I guess sort-of starting with Chapter 12, and going on into the Chapter-We-All-Love-To-Hate, Ch16.
> 
> Please skip the beginning notes if you want to read the chapter, as they will be unnecessary for you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Synopsis for those who don't wish for a spoiler:
> 
> You wake up before Belphie, who has his arm around you in a vice-grip. Beel discusses how he feels that Belphie likes you. You then ask questions about comments regarding Belphie's dislike of humans (which contain a big game spoiler hence my glossing over it all)
> 
> Beel unfortunately becomes very upset about some of this, and you ask him to sit near you; stating that you'd touch him but, duh, you'll hurt him like you did Asmo. Beel decides that you're wrong, and talks you into touching his arm (though you are loath to do it). He's fine. So yeah, you can choose to touch the boys. 
> 
> Once all the canon-spoiling is over, Beel explains that the exchange human as per the game did not return Belphie's feelings of deep affection, that in the end, he couldn’t be around them and when they passed away of natural causes he didn’t go to their funeral. He’s back to being a bitter little shite last check, until now anyway.
> 
> There's a Beel bear hug (which is completely non-romantic, sorry Beel stans!) and you go to freshen up for dinner.
> 
> I tried to keep it brief but to the point! 

You wake before Belphie, warm and comfortable and kind of wishing that you could ask Beel to bring you dinner in bed. _Not that it would make it to the foot of the stairs with his appetite_ , you think to yourself with a grin. As you shift slightly in bed, the cuddle-demon behind you makes a very soft, sleepy groan and pulls you tighter to his chest – a little too tight, as it makes you grunt. Beel, who is sitting on his bed with what looks to be a phone in his hand, hears the noise and glances over at you. “You woke up quicker than I thought” he says matter-of-factly. His eyes flick back to Belphie. “He’s a bit clingy when he sleeps sometimes. But only with those he likes”

“How can he like me?” you question him, unbelieving. “He doesn’t even know me!”

“He likes you”. You find yourself liking Beel immensely. Except for the unfortunate incident when you met him, he seems kind, thoughtful and so much more straight forward than most of the humans that had been in your life – the life, you realise, you’re never going back to. It feels a little like a punch in the gut. Beel doesn’t realise your thoughts, of course, and he continues “You’re clever and you’ve got a quick wit. He also finds you funny. If he was going to get rid of you, he would have decided to do it in the moments of meeting you.”

You hum to acknowledge Beel’s statement and think about it quietly for a moment. He might be a demon, but he seems too direct to lie, at least thus far in your knowledge of him. “Beel… Can you answer something for me?” you ask tentatively.

“I can try”

You pause, and he watches your face as you attempt to word what you want to say. “It’s just something that has been said a couple of times that has me curious…” you pause.

“Go on” he encourages.

You shift a bit in the arms of your demon. “Well. Um. Asmo implied something about how Belphie feels about humans, as if he doesn’t like them. And Mammon said he thought he’d… rip me to bits? Something like that”. You pause for a moment.

“Belphie also mentioned something about how he thought Lord Mu…errr… Lucifer would be happy about him being interested in a human. And you _can’t_ deny you also looked surprised to find me here” Beel is looking at you with an unreadable expression, so you gather your courage, deciding to be direct and to the point. “There’s something I need to know about Belphie not being a human fan, isn’t there. Please, tell me.”

Beel looks surprised at your directness. He looks down at his hands in his lap and you think he’s going to just ignore your blunt line of questioning; you kick yourself for being so direct, he seems like the only demon who has an interest in your continued wellbeing – for the sake of his twin, you suspect – and you _really_ don’t want to offend him.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t…” you start to say, but he interrupts you.

“Don’t be” he interrupts, sighing and looking directly at you. “Look, you’d find out anyway, sooner rather than later might be best” Rummaging around in one of his drawers, he finds a whole load of snacks which he starts to devour in a much slower manner than you have seen previously.

“OK” he says, after chewing thoughtfully on about half a dozen. “This is quite a long story, but I’m sure I can give you a very brief version. We were all angels and lived in the Celestial realm millennia ago. Our sister… we were all fond of her. Belphie and I more than anyone.” A pause, he almost inhales the next snack before slowing himself down on another. It’s obvious he’s distressed talking about his sister, so you smile softly at him and nod your encouragement. “Her name was Lilith. Belphie used to love the human realm, and he’d visit every chance he got. He started to take Lilith too, and she fell head over heels in love with a human. But she did something she shouldn’t have… our Father was going to wipe her out of existence. Out of memory. Lucifer couldn’t…” he looks sad, another pause and a few more snacks before continuing, “Lucifer decided to fight back against this happening. It caused the Celestial War, we all fought in it, my brothers and Lilith. I saw her die” a tear rolls down his cheek “it was her or Belphie, my twin. I couldn’t save them both” another pause and more tears track down his cheek.

“Wait” you tell him. “Come sit near me, is that ok?” He gives a brief nod and brings his treats. _It really is like having a big puppy with ‘good dog treats’_ you think to yourself.

“I don’t think I can touch you” you say quietly “Just imagine my hand on your arm.”

“Not sure if that’s how it works” he says thoughtfully, then nods to himself as he comes to a decision. “I want you to try it”

“The _last_ thing I want to do is hurt you!!” you exclaim _. It would be like kicking a puppy_ , you think to yourself.

“I want to know” he says quietly. “Besides, I trust you won’t hurt me, and if it does, you’ll make it smart as little as possible”. You don’t move, you really don’t want to do it then he looks at you with his big soulful eyes, shiny from unshed tears “Please…”

Tentatively, gently, you slowly move your index finger towards him. When it makes contact, he does nothing, not even a flinch and relief rushes through you. “Please, continue” you tell the red-haired giant of a demon, moving your hand to hold his wrist.

“Where was I…” he muses for a moment. “Right. I saved Belphie. She fell from heaven” he says, looking at your hand on his arm. You give him a consoling squeeze, and Beel gives you a lopsided grin, glancing over at Belphie to ensure he’s still asleep. “We of course all mourned her as dead, though we never found her body. Belphie, after the fall, blamed humans. He _despised_ them, wanted to eradicate them. When Lord Diavolo decided to set up an exchange program” he pauses at your raised eyebrow at the unfamiliar name “Lord Diavolo is the Prince of the Devildom. When he decided to set up an exchange program between the human and celestial realms, we were told by Lucifer he was sending Belphie as one of the number sent to the human realm. I missed him so much”

He looks at you with a soft smile. “Two humans and two angels were sent here. One of the humans you may yet meet, Solomon still visits from time to time. The other one stayed with us here in this house for the duration of the program. All of us were fond of them. Loved them dearly. But” he pauses again, and chews thoughtfully on another morsel for a few moments “it turns out that Belphie didn’t go to the human realm. Lucifer had locked him in the attic because he was threatening to harm any humans brought here through the program. He still managed to lure the human to the attic, and they helped Belphie escape. Long and the short of it – he killed them” he looks into your eyes, as you stiffen, horrified “though Barbatos – another demon, who deals with time and different realities, managed to swap it around somehow, and they lived on” another pause, and more chewing. “I don’t really understand Barbatos’ magic” he shrugs, “but they lived. Belphie came to regret the decision deeply when he found out that the human was a great-great-I-dunno-how-many-greats-granddaughter of Lilith. When she fell from heaven, Lucifer made a deal with Diavolo, and she lived on as a human. Not one of us knew until the day Belphie escaped”

Belphie shifts behind you, and Beel pauses again, watching him carefully to make sure he’s still sound. It’s obvious Beel doesn’t want him to be privy to your conversation. “Belphie ended up loving the human exchange student deeply, and for who they were not a descendant of Lilith. He loved them more than all of us combined, I could feel it” he continues softly. “They did forgive him, and they treated him like family. But they never returned his deeper feelings, no matter how gentle and sweet he was around them. I guess it must have been hard for them to feel anything like that for your murderer” Another round of snacks “In the end, he couldn’t be around them – it hurt him too much. And when they passed away of natural causes years later, he didn’t go to their funeral. He’s been bitter at humans since.” He looks directly at you. “So yes, I can see why there has been surprise from my brothers at him keeping you. I was too. It’s nice to see him with you though” his smile is genuine and affectionate as he looks at his twin. “I can feel how happy he is around you”.

You’re at a loss for words, so you just squeeze his arm affectionately. After a lengthy pause, you say “Any idea how to get this vice off my torso?” you motion at the arm which is still clamping you tightly to Belphegor.

He grins “Try tickling him. He’s incredibly ticklish around his waist. Just be gentle, or he might wake up in demon form”

You grin back at him and give it a go. He moves his arm to scratch where you’ve gently tickled his waist, and you roll out of his grip quickly. Beel laughs and then grunts as you throw your arms around his neck and give him a bear hug. “Thank you for being honest with me” you say in his ear. “I kind of understand him a little better now, and it may help us get along”

Beel is lightly blushing as he says “You’re welcome.” The hug is platonic (and you can hardly believe you did it!) but he seems to have appreciated the gesture.

“Right then” you say. “How long until dinner?”

Apparently you’ve just reminded him of his stomach, as he puts two of his snacks in his mouth wrapper and all, and replies with a full mouth “About an hour” 

Luckily you understand the language of mouth-full, and you grin as you say “I shall get myself sorted for dinner then. Please excuse me”

He’s nodding, but you don’t see it because your back is turned grabbing one of your new outfits – not your favourite, you’ll keep it for best, but it’s ranked in the top five. Walking swiftly to the bathroom, you close the door behind you, leaning on it. You have a lot to think over, you realise, and at least you have a little me-time in this room to think through the new information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that we have a wee bit of extra context I guess. Trying to keep the cannon out of this as much as possible for something a bit different, but it's got to creep in a little at some point, amirite? Anyway, next chapter is back to the normal chaos.
> 
> Another half chapter written today and more job applications and another knitting pattern... I need the patterns for while I'm waiting to collect my niece from school. They're both done now. I do design knitwear but there's been no published patterns for a while now. Still write them up, and once I'm gainfully employed again I might throw some out for testing again. We shall see, I suppose.


	8. If Not Today, Then When?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with most of the brothers; we meet Satan for the first time.

There’s a knock on the bathroom door. “Are you going to be much longer?” You recognise it to be Belphie, and you reply “No, I’ll just be a moment” You had been in here for over half an hour, you’d guess, and after a hot shower you feel much more yourself. Asmo’s little details in silver over your garments accentuate your figure and make you feel like a million dollars - dressed in something that makes you feel more confident that you’d expected. All the information gathered from Beel has been sorted through and compartmentalised in your head. You _definitely_ understand that you’re to be a pillow, entertainment and perhaps a proxy for a human no longer here. And while there was a significantly violent event in that history, your demon has not shown any violence towards you.

Not yet, at any rate. Time will tell, you figure.

Giving yourself one last glance in the mirror, you open the door and state that you’ve finished. Beel smiles at you. “You look lovely” he says. “Don’t you think, Belphie?”

Belphegor looks at you for a long moment, a slight smile on his face and a dusting of pink on his cheeks, before looking away and saying “I suppose so. But that’s not going to be comfortable for sleeping”

Thanking Beel, you say to Belphie “That’s ok. I have your tee for that” You could _swear_ the blush just deepened on his cheeks but he’s doing his best to hide his features from you, so you cannot be sure.

While you’re waiting for Belphie in the bathroom, you chat to Beel about non-consequential things – your day at Majolish, his training session this morning, the weather – and after a short period Belphie is ready, bed hair gone and in garments without sleep creases. Beel then takes over the bathroom.

“Umm” says Belphie, now that you are alone, and pauses.

“What’s up? Have I done something wrong? Do you really think I should change?” you ask him, feeling like he _must_ be offended by something, he’s so hesitant.

“No, not at all” he says quickly. “It’s just…. Well… I got you this” He hands you a small bag. Opening it, you find a box with a ring; a simple band with an unusual symbol embedded with long, baguette-cut purple stones embedded artfully into the precious metal – almost like a letter “V” with a line down the middle and a sideways “C” running across it.

“I…” you start, eyes widening in surprise at the unexpected, beautiful gift. “Thank you Belphie. It’s beautiful, I love it!” 

“Don’t read too much into it” he says, looking away from you. He’s definitely blushing this time. You pretend not to notice as you slip the ring on your fingers – it’s too large for your normal ring-wearing fingers but fits perfectly on your index finger.

Beel steps out of the bathroom, and says “Ready then, guys?” After you both give your assent, the three of you make your way down to the dining room.

~~~

Your little group is not the first to arrive to the dining table, Asmo is there taking selfies on what looks like a smart phone. When he sees you though, he squeals “OOOOH LOOK HOW CUTE YOU ARE!!!!” as if he hadn’t seen you try the darned outfit on earlier that afternoon and starts to gush over how he’s made you _soo sooo cute_.

And you are _certain_ you’re going to end up with a headache.

There’s another being in the room, probably another devil you figure considering where you are. The blond man is wearing green and has a book in his hand to which he is giving the entirety of his attention – at least until Asmo starts squealing, at which point he glances you over once with a calculating look, and goes back to digesting the written words before him.

Belphie sits next to you, moving his chair a _tiny_ bit closer to yours, protectively? possessively?? You’re not sure, maybe both. And Beel sits next to him, rubbing his stomach and complaining that he’s hungry, which apparently is his personal mantra.

Looking across the table, Belphie addresses the stranger “It’s rude to ignore our guests, you know”

Said stranger doesn’t even look up as he snorts “Guest? I thought it was a pet”

Belphie hums. “That may be true, however, you could allow me to introduce you, won’t kill you…”

Sighing, the blonde puts his book down and looks at Belphie. “Well go ahead then and hurry up about it. I want to get back to my reading.”

“Satan, this is my pet, and I’ve nicknamed them Pillow.” he says, earning a sideways glance at you at your new ‘name’. “Pillow – this is my brother Satan. He’s the personification of Wrath, and he might seem genteel and well behaved but don’t cross him – get him angry and he’s just going to be _murderous_ ”

You raise your eyebrows at Belphie, having gathered in your short time what a shit-stirrer he is. Offering a timid smile to your new acquaintance, you politely say “Pleased to meet you. May I ask what you’re reading?”

“Likewise” he says, but the smile he sends your way doesn’t reach his eyes so you don’t think he’s overly fussed to meet you either way. “It’s a classic from the Devildom, I very much doubt you’d have heard of it. Do you read?”

“Of course” you retort “And not just for necessity, for pleasure also”. _I REALLY need a brain-mouth filter_ , you muse kicking yourself when you realise you were just snarky to Wrath himself. Surprisingly though, you don’t die instantly.

“You read? What is your preferred genre?” Satan asks, considering you coolly with his moss-green eyes.

The next twenty minutes or so are taken up by your shared love of reading, and while you both have some difference in tastes, he is mildly taken aback when you mention your love of murder mysteries for which he obviously also has some fondness; Agatha Christie, Kerry Greenwood and G. K. Chesterton being among your choices - of course, that opens a brief debate on the differences between the books and the shows and he’s amused enough to bark a laugh at your referring to them as “Fluffy Death”. _Good heavens above,_ you think to yourself in amusement, _I just made THE Satan laugh._

The conversation is only interrupted when Lucifer arrives and takes his seat at the head of the table with all the pomp and grandeur you’d expect, flicking his cape over his shoulder with a precision that makes you think he’s a show off. Mammon is a few minutes behind him, almost tripping over his heels. “You’re a minute late” Lucifer chastises Mammon, and Mammon attempts to talk his way out of it in a bluster.

Zoning out, you muse to yourself _Only one missing_ , looking at the empty chair. Belphie leans his head on you and says quietly in your ear “It’s Leviathan that is missing. He’ll not come out of his room right now, he’s a shut-in at the best of times but he has been waffling on about some raid or other in one of his games so until that’s over you won’t meet him”

Naturally Asmo didn’t miss the interaction with Belphie, and now has a shit-eating grin on his face as he watches. You roll your eyes at him and turn slightly towards Belphie so he can’t embarrass you further, but he isn’t going to have you ruining his fun, naturally… “So, when can we expect the pitter patter of little Belphegors, hmmm? I _can’t wait_ to be an uncle!”

“ **Asmodeus**!” Belphie protests, blushing, and just behind him Lucifer does the same.

“Well!!!” huffs Asmo. “Surely you can see it Luci? _Just look_ at how Belphie is _all over_ them!!”

Belphie huffs “I’m tired and getting comfortable. And it’s none of your damned business”

“Belphie and Asmo, enough” growls Lucifer. “Asmodeus, quit stirring the pot. Belphegor, sit up properly, this is a dining table not a lounging area”. After one final commanding look at them both, he summons the Little D’s to commence bringing in the dishes, with Beel attempting to just help himself to the whole platters as they walk past – unfortunately for him, the small demons are used to his antics and manage to evade his efforts.

Belphie starts to load your plate with all manner of items – is that a SCORPION? It certainly looks the right shape – and proceeds to explain the flavours without giving you actual details of what you’re about to consume. The vegetables look like they came out of a body of water but have a crunchier texture than expected though there is still a hint of slime and pondwater. The other items are crunchy, and savory. It’s all surprisingly delicious, and you don’t hesitate to tell Belphie so. He looks pleased with your comment on his choices, and holds his fork out for you to try what he’s eating. Once again, it reminds you of brains and you eye the fork, then him suspiciously.

“If you liked what’s on your plate, I promise you’ll love this” he encourages with a wicked grin on his face. For some reason you don’t quite trust him.

You’ve _never_ allowed anyone to feed you, _ever_. “Can’t I just take the fork?” you try to persuade him to keep your dignity intact, to no avail as he laughs at you and tells you to open up. Finally, after minutes of resisting, you give in and allow him to feed you the morsel – telling yourself _anything for a quiet life_. The shock of the spicy heat must register on your face, as he starts to laugh wickedly… until you just smile angelically at him and say “Quite a nice kick to that dish, you were quite right to think that I’d enjoy it”

The shock on his face that you’re not after something to dull the heat makes you laugh, unabashedly – your love of spicy food is well known to your friends in the human realm, having even attempted raw Ghost Chilli on a dare. And this was nowhere near the scale of those evil breath-stealing fruit.

Beel is grinning, and Asmo is chuckling unabashedly. Lucifer is glaring daggers at you both for the disgraceful interruption of the serious discussion he had been having with Satan, while the latter is looking puzzled, having missed everything. You just look at Lucifer with wide, innocent eyes until he sighs and turns back to Satan again. Glancing at Belphie, he’s doing the same and you both quietly chuckle at each other like co-conspirators.

As the sweet trolley is brought out, Asmo attempts again to force a diabetic coma on you – because apparently “You simply _must_ have something sweet, you’re so sweet yourself! Come on, just a bite of this! Or how about this?” causing Belphie to grumpily tell him to lay off. Grabbing a couple of simple custards, he requests to Lucifer that you both might leave the table. Lucifer just waves him away without breaking his conversation.

As you leave, Satan calls after you “We must have a reading night or a series night sometime. I’d like to chat with you a little more”. You look over your shoulder at him and smile but answering is out of the question as Belphegor drags you out of range.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made the week out, passed 10k words... and I still cannot believe that I'm actually writing! I have the outline of probably 15 chapters and I have a sneaking suspicion that this will be at least 30 chapters long.
> 
> If you've made it this far with me, you have my appreciation and dare I say it, positive vibes heading back at you. All my life I've wanted to write, and never made it this far. Your encouragement is driving this, and I love you... in a Platonic, friendship-based manner of course lol. We all need a little Platonic positive love in this pandemic, so take it and run....


	9. Bonding with the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff with Belphie. What more could a Belphie stan ask for?

As you enter the twin’s room, Belphegor closes the door soundly behind you and rounds on you. “Stop being so friendly with my brothers” he says, petulantly.

“Why?” you ask. “What am I doing wrong?”

He blushes, glancing to the side. “Well, for one, they might want you for theirs. And that will cause arguments” He’s not making eye contact, looking everywhere and anywhere but at you directly.

“Belphie” you say, exasperated. “This may not be what I’ve chosen as my life path, however I know _full well_ who I belong to now. I’m being friendly because it’s obvious that I’ll be living with you all, and it will make my life… _our_ life easier”. You pause, as he finally looks at you and makes proper eye contact. _His eyes are so beautiful, almost like a sunset_ you think to yourself. “Belphie, have you not seen that I follow you everywhere you want? There’s been no interaction with any of them, except Beel of course, unless you’re with me. You have no need to be jealous”

He starts, and quickly says “Why should I be _jealous_ of my brothers with a human? Seriously, don’t read too much into this”

The tension is palpable. Horrible. In an attempt to quell the heavy atmosphere, you take the biggest risk you have taken thus far and lay on the bed you share with Belphie. Scooting back, you order him “Lay down”

He looks at you blankly, but his light blush is impossible to hide. “Why should I, and who are you to order me around, Pillow?”

“Because we both know full well you probably need to nap by now. Let me be the big spoon this time” you pause, take a deep breath and say “Belphie, I promise that I won’t sleep in any of your brother’s beds. I’ve been independent all my life, you need to understand this whole deal is hard for me. It’s not like I threw myself in the cave covered in….” you pause and think for a moment as the demon stares at you with an inscrutable look on his face. “Look. This is how my life is now. Can we at least be friends, as well as cuddle buddies? I think I could comfortably live with that”.

Silence. He’s far too quiet, and for too long in your opinion. Then his expression changes to thoughtful as he answers. “You’re right, you don’t really get a choice in what happens to you. But” he looks at you, a half smile on his face “you have a point. You’re pretty direct, aren’t you….” A pause as he considers. “Ok. Cuddle buddies. And you’ve amused me enough that maybe we could be friends as well. Why not? A pet, pillow and friend.”

He visibly relaxes a touch as he climbs into bed, allowing you to spoon him this time. You gently pull him to you, leaving your grip loose. “Mmm. Actually, this is nice. I’m going to have good dreams tonight” he says.

You chuckle, pleased that you appear to have won this round. “Well. I aim to please… mostly.”

A comfortable silence falls for a moment, then your demon asks “Are you missing the human realm?”

You think about this for a moment, and eventually you reply “Yes… and no. I mean, I miss my friends and family, obviously. I hope they’re ok and not worrying about me too much, I would hate to make them worry. And my animals of course. And some of my things, but really they’re just possessions… my devices of course, phone etcetera…. But it’s also nice to have someone to look after me for a change” you pause and add very quietly, too quiet for normal human ears at any rate “it’s nice have someone who wants me around”

Belphie is quiet for so long you think he must have dozed off; until he turns in your arms and faces you. “I do want you around. I don’t know why that is, but in the short space of time you’ve been here, I’ve slept much better and it’s been fun to have you around. I think maybe we can actually make this work”

There’s a flush on his face and his eyes bore into yours…. You feel a warmth spreading through you. _You CAN’T have a crush on this being!!_ You kick yourself for your stupidity. _He thinks of you as a PET, dammit!_ But the fact is, his frank, direct personality has cut through some of your attraction barriers.

You know getting closer to him is dangerous though, and in an attempt to defuse the situation you grin at him and say “Of course this will work. I’m awesome you know. You should feel lucky to have me”

He chuckles at your cheekiness and pulls you closer. “Who are you, Mammon?”

“Not last time I checked”

He quietly laughs then snuggles into your chest. Sighing, he says “Maybe we should watch something on the TV. I could definitely fall asleep to something”

“Mmm. I could watch something. But that does involve moving to get the television remote. Just saying”

Groaning, he reaches for his device. “All good, I have a remote-control app on my DDD” Opening said app, he switches on the TV and starts channel surfing, finally settling on a show about astrology. You find yourself absorbed in the information about the stars in the Devildom, and Belphie – who unexpectedly stays awake – gives his own insight on the information, which surprises you immensely.

“You seem to know a lot about astrology, Belphie. Is it an interest of yours?”

“Yes. I do have an interest in the skies. When you arrived, we were in the planetarium” he gives a contented sigh and squeezes you gently. “We should definitely sleep there one night. The stars are so _beautiful_ , it’s so relaxing to sleep there”

“I’d love to sleep there” you say quietly. He shifts as he looks up at you and smiles, then returns to his premium TV-viewing position.

You watch the show in silence until it ends – the show following is about demons chasing and eating other beings. A few minutes in you wince, not wanting to see it; Belphie obviously doesn’t either as he groans and starts to flick channels. This goes on for more time than you’d prefer, and you eventually say “Why don’t you just put on some music? Or you can talk to me, I’ll do my best to entertain you if you are bored….”

He looks at you, and smiles. “Where’s that attitude gone? I thought you were more… prickly”

“And what good would that serve me? I’m just trying to make my life easier….” You state. “Though you’re not completely horrible, so I guess it’s not so bad”

“There some of it” he grins up at you. “You know, there’s the rest of your life to talk. But right now I’m tired, and you’re comfortable” he yawns then adds quietly “and soft”

Smiling, you run your fingers through his hair. With your head this close, you notice that there’s silver tips on the end of his locks. “You know, your hair reminds me of the night sky”

He hums acknowledgement and nuzzles into you. “What do you mean?”

“Well”, you say quietly, a bit shyly. “Mostly, it’s the colour of the sky at night, that deep blue-black. But the tips are like stars. Your hair is pretty”

He looks at you, surprised at the unexpected compliment and blushing quite pink, at a loss for words. “I…. um… thank you…” obviously he is not sure what else to say, so he nuzzles back into your chest and holds you tight to him. You smile and keep running your fingers through his hair as he leans his head into your touch.

He falls asleep like this. You’re awake longer than him, but not before Beel arrives back to the shared room. He finds you both entwined in each other’s arms, your hand in Belphie’s hair mid-stroke, covers rucked up and pushed low about Belphie’s waist. Smiling gently, he pulls the covers up over you both. "Sweet dreams, you two" he whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some soft, fluffy Belphie for all of us Belphie Stans... because I don't think the game gives him enough softness. Take away the murder and I think he'd be a bigger softie than Mammon lol. Sorry it's short. Not being a particular romantic kind of has had an effect I guess :P
> 
> Yesterday's comments were so kind, you guys rock. I see it on my phone, and answer on my laptop... and, with my Kudos reaching 100+, my ego has been increased a little. Good thing it was low to begin with ROFLMAO...
> 
> Today I unlocked Mammon's UR Devil Tree (if you're on the Facebook Official group, yep, that's me with the video lol - now you know where you can yell at me!!!). I've got one more UR to go to make a double-set of non-crossover cards, and then I shall proceed to kick all the butts in the game 😂 I cannot get the Belphie UR this time round and I'm out of money.... oh well, them's the breaks!
> 
> I live in a high-risk household of adults who have cancer, autoimmune, high blood pressure, diabetes and various other conditions (yes, I do count amongst them with autoimmune/neurological problems). We went out for lunch today for the first time since the beginning of the year. People will never fail to make me shake their head... how do they NOT understand social distancing? Needless to say, I will be in enforced (unemployed) lockdown for a tad longer. Had hoped very much that this outing might mean I could meet with a friend for lunch, but while the café was doing their best.... again, people... *facepalm*


	10. A Day Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're left to your own devices for a day. Chaos ensues.

Breakfast is as chaotic an affair as dinner, perhaps more so – Beel eating as much as he can lay his hands on, or should that be paws, they’re big enough… Asmo preening and looking for attention, Belphie is leaning on you like a limpet, Satan has his nose glued to a book and Mammon is blustering away while being insulted by his younger siblings. Leviathan, if you recall the name correctly, is nowhere to be seen and the only change is Lucifer is nowhere in sight – apparently, he has a meeting at the campus. The chaos is amped higher, and it seems due to Lucifer’s absence - the noise is definitely _way_ too many decibels too high for you before your normal morning dose of caffeine.

Campus. Because Demons go to school or college or something. You can’t help but feel amused by the fact that these millennia old beings are being made to attend classes, however you attempt to swallow your smirks whilst Belphie, Mammon, and Asmo attempt to explain it to you – not that any of it is getting through to your brain this early; you decide to try to puzzle out what the hell they are on about later.

You have been advised that you are to stay in the bedroom today. For your safety.

“And what exactly am I supposed to do all day, then?”

Belphie yawns. “I dunno. Watch some TV”

You look at him blankly. “That’s it? Well… can I at least look around the house? Or sit in the library with a book?”

“No, stay in the room” he orders brusquely. “You have to stay there for your safety”.

“Belphegor”, Satan interrupts. “My last class is midday, I can show them around, or take them to the library, and we could continue our discussion from….”

He doesn’t get any further than that, as Belphie’s loud “NO!!!” cuts through the noise in the room. All heads turn to look at him, surprise (and in Asmo’s case, amusement and a suggestive smirk) is turned his way. “Stay away from my human, understand? I have to get going now, c’mon you” he says, pulling you out of the chair.

“But I haven’t finished!!” you protest, your plate still half full.

He just glances at you, picking up the plate, and with no further warning or words he grips your hand and drags you out of the room.

* * *

Well this is… boring… you think to yourself, idly flicking channels. Apparently the Devildom's daytime TV is as bad as the Human realm's, and you find yourself wishing for your phone to _~~stalk your friends~~_ check what your friends are up to. A few hours of this is enough to make you feel completely and utterly brain dead.

 _Bordey bordey bord-er-y bored_.

You find yourself pacing the walls of your small confine on the lower floor, then climbing the stairs to the second level. There’s a nook at the back of the walkway, with windows reaching to the ceiling… you wish you could find a book. At least you can stare out of the window and daydream… for a while that is sufficient but after about half an hour you find yourself pacing again like a caged tiger. Down the stairs, around the room, up the stairs, across the balcony. _THIS IS SO EFFING BORING_ you think to yourself in frustration. Looking at the clock… it’s 1pm apparently, though the Devildom is always dark, it seems.

You can’t even go online to harass people. Whenever you’re this bored, you like to answer messages from scammers for giggles. Or get into mischief with your friends, talking nonsense or sending terrible memes and pictures, or getting yourself into other innocent mischief. Chuckling, you remember the time you got one of your friends banned after you commented on a meme of an “adult film star”. Not your fault obviously. You didn’t know who he was, it was an innocent comment, and he posted the second (thankfully Safe For Work) photo of his own free will, causing bots to ban him for a few days. 

There’s a knock at the door, breaking you out of your bored thoughts. Cautiously you call “Who is it?” knowing full well Satan has been warned away from the room, and surely with that all the other residents of the house.

“Oy, Human. It’s the Great Mammon. Open the door” _Figures it’s would be him, he does seem to head into life without thinking_ you muse, grinning to yourself.

Belphie didn’t say he wasn’t allowed to come, not specifically, but you just know that letting him in will cause trouble. **_BUT YOU ARE SO BORED_** your inner demon screams at you… and let’s face it, a screaming demon is always going to win against the angel, especially in your current location!

Opening the door just a crack and peeking at him with one eye, you ask “And what do you want, exactly?”

“Pah. I do you a favour and grace you with my company, and that’s what I get?” he says, pushing the door open on you. _Damn, he’s strong_ you think. Maybe you shouldn’t have opened the door but it’s too late now - the demon in question has strolled right in, making himself comfortable in the chair next to Belphie’s bed.

“Well. I guess now I don’t have a choice. You know, I don't think Belphie would want you here… So, why are you here then?”

“Like I take orders from anyone. I’m The Great Mammon. I don’t care what he thinks” he scoffs, but he’s not looking at you and you know he’s full of bullshit (your BS Radar has never let you down). You also know your chances of getting him out of here now are zero to none.

“Wellllllll… if you are going to get yourself in an argument with my owner… I suppose you might as well entertain me”

“Oy human!!! It’s your job to entertain me!”

You snort and eye the demon sideways. “If you say so” You move to perch on the edge of the bed and look at him. “Ok, so, what do you want to do?”

“Umm. I dunno…” He is not sure where to look… the ceiling, the floor apparently both suddenly hold his interest, and he can't have thought this through. As the silence lengthens, you think for a bit and say to him “Do you guys have some version of internet or social media here?”

Right question.

For the next few hours, you and Mammon are scrolling through Devilgram and Akuzon and Devilbook… all manner of knockoffs from the human realm… _or is it the other way around?_ you wonder. The screen is small, and it means you both end up sitting with your back on the headboard of Belphie’s bed. You find yourself scooting closer to the white-haired demon to see better, shoulders _just_ touching. He looks a bit surprised, blushing at the contact at first but relaxes quickly when he realises it’s a platonic gesture to see the screen. Naturally, his Social feeds are full of anything related to money or high-end possessions, and he talks your ear off about said items for well over an hour before you manage to convince him to look at his modelling pictures.

“You make for one hell of a clothes hanger, Mammon”, you praise his work, looking over the images with a critical eye. “No wonder you’ve been in so many shoots!”

He sputters and turns beet red at your praise. Once he finds his tongue again, he says “Yeah, of course they all want The Great Mammon! I’m a big deal in the Modelling world” he pauses, not looking at you. “Um. Well. Maybe you could come to one of my shoots, if ya like. You know, see how it all works and that. I’d be doing ya a huge favour of course, it’d be a privilege for you to be there… it’s not that I want you there or anythin’…”

The BS Radar goes off in your head, and you grin at him. “Sure. If Belphie will allow it, of course”

He snorts “Ya don’t have to ask him, he will let ya. I’m his big brother and he should let ya out of respect for me, anyway!”

You look at him sideling. “Noooo I don’t think that’s how it works, hon. It’s been made perfectly clear that I’m only here because he decided he was bored, and he found me somewhat amusing. My life is not my own anymore” You stretch your arms overhead with a groan, feeling your shoulder blades pop from hunching over the small screen. “I wonder what will happen to me when he decides I’m no longer entertaining. Or too old. Or just too much work”

There’s no reply to that. Mammon is looking thoughtfully at you. “Well. I-I… uh… one of us are sure to take ya over. We don’t mind humans, ya know”

Snorting, you say to him “Really? I’m not sure all of you would appreciate my special skills in sarcasm, big words and bohemian arts”

He snorts. “Sounds like ya might be made for Satan or Lucifer”

You chuckle. “Please. Not Lucifer. I’d ask for death first”

His beautiful blue eyes sparkle at you as he laughs at your comment, and you smile at him. _I suppose if it comes to it, Mammon wouldn’t be such a bad second owner_ you muse to yourself. _He may not be direct like Belphie, and he may be thick as two planks - but he can’t hide what he’s thinking_.

This reminds you that your owner will be coming home… sometime. He didn’t say when, so you ask “Do you know when Belphie is due back?”

Mammon doesn’t know. You wonder if he knows anything at all, then chide yourself for your unkindness to a being that has been quite good company this afternoon.

Another hour or two passes, and Mammon chatters away like a magpie the whole time (suitable for his sin of Greed, really). You tease him gently, and while at first he takes it too personally, your laughter and the fact that your ribbing is not nasty makes him relax and he laughs it off, teasing you back in turn. As you are both chuckling over the failure of his latest get-rich-quick scheme – him on the bed, and you now relocated to the chair beside it, the door opens.

It’s Belphie. And he’s not amused at finding a visitor. In a flash, he transforms to his demon form. This is the first time you’ve had a proper look at him in his other form, and your breath catches for a millisecond. It suits him. _Damn this crush_ , you think, _anyone would think I’m a teenager_.

“What are you doing in here?” he growls at Mammon, glaring daggers.

“Just keepin’ them company. Givin’ them some entertainment. You should be grateful that I….”

Belphie does not let them get any further. “STAY AWAY FROM **MY** HUMAN” he shouts, so loud your ears ring and you cover them with your hands. “And YOU!!!” he rounds on you, eyes blazing. “WHY did you let him in?????”

“I just opened the door to speak to him. That was a mistake, I’m sorry. You guys are stronger than me, he just pushed in. But there’s been no harm done, I promise, he’s been good company while you were gone and……”

“Don't open the door again! Do you understand?”

You see red, the frustration and boredom of the day rising to the surface. “Well then bloody well give me something to do!!” you bluster at him, running your hand through your hair in frustration. “I’m not some creature that can be just kept locked in a cage. I need some sort of mental stimulation!! Hell, even cats and dogs need more than what I’ve had today!”

 _Now I’ve done it_ , you think to yourself, _it was nice while it lasted_.

Belphie doesn’t say or do anything – his eyes soften a little, which surprises you in his current angry state. "Well. Ok..."

Mammon steps in front of you. “Oy Belphie, leave ‘em alone! It’s not their fault I pushed in on ‘em. Ya can’t take it out on a human, you know they’re stupidly fragile….” His line of reasoning is cut short, as he’s thrown across the room by Belphie, hitting the bed you’ve been sharing with him. The bed breaks with a sickening crack, and Mammon lets out a yelp. You stand in the middle of the floor, shocked and frozen. Who knows where this would have gone next, if not for the door slamming open and Lucifer, in full demon form, barges in and catches Belphegor by the arm.

“What _EXACTLY_ is the meaning of this? He growls at Belphie. “Why is your bed broken, and what has Mammon done?”

“Nuthin, I did nuthin” Mammon sputters, coughing. “I just came to talk to the human….”

“You are an idiot” he spits at him. “Get back to you room. As for you” he says, turning to Belphie “you are acting like a fool. You could have hurt the human in your blind rage here. Get into the attic”

Belphie doesn’t back down “You have no right to tell me how to treat _my human_. How dare you?”

“I dare as much as I please” Lucifer growls at him. “Now get up there, before I drag you there. And don’t leave until I come to speak with you”

For a long moment you think Belphie is going to defy him, as he stares into Lucifer’s eyes without backing down. When Beel appears through the door and quietly speaks – all of the rest of the household you’ve met have been drawn to the noise, you realise – he breaks the staring match. “Belphie, come with me. We will go together”.

Belphie looks at him, shame starting to creep into his expression. Without a further word, he turns on his heel and stalks out of the room.

Once they are gone, Asmo quietly (which in itself is a _miracle_ ) makes his way into the room, helps Mammon off what is left of the bed and supports him out the door. That only leaves Satan and Lucifer, the former leaning on the frame quietly and the latter pinching the bridge of his nose.

You sit in the chair, putting your head in your hands. You don’t want to look at either of them right now, or speak to them, but when Lucifer asks “Are you ok” you know it’s in your best interest to answer.

“Just fine and dandy” you say shakily. You look up from your palms, and note he’s no longer in his demon form.

"I believe we should have a chat" he says, eyeing the wreckage of the room. "I need to know the truth of what happened here. Come".

And with that curt summons, he spins and stalks out the door, leaving you to follow behind on wobbly legs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late posting today. Had to ensure this chapter was somewhat double-checked prior to posting. Thankfully the next two chapters are written, not checked yet though. I do know how I'll go with the following chapter. And perhaps the one after. If there's anything you'd like to see, do feel free to comment and I may be able to work it in (no smut though, sorry but those thoughts will stay firmly locked in my head ROFLMO)
> 
> It's probably obvious that I'm both a Belphie and Mammon stan by now. Apparently my type is a Yandere/Tsundre LMAO!!! *facepalm*


	11. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick, and very proper, meeting with Lucifer.

You’re back in Lucifer’s not-so-secret study. The demon in question is sitting with his hands steepled in front of him, an inscrutable look on his face.

“So. What happened in there?” he asks.

“Can I ask why you’re asking me? Wouldn’t Mammon or Belphie be the better choices for this?”

“Oh don’t worry, I will be having a lengthy discussion with them both. However,” he says with a malicious smile playing on his lips “they both have a vested interest in how much punishment they will receive from these events, whereas you do not”

“I have a suspicion there may be repercussions for me also” you say flatly. Sighing, you say “Where do you want me to start?”

“At the beginning”

You hum to yourself, thinking of the most efficient way to tell him. “OK, breakfast, I guess. I was told that today I wouldn’t be going to RA…D…?” you look at him to ensure you got the letters right, and when he nods curtly you continue. “…with everyone. I was to stay in the room – and I wasn’t allowed to roam the house. I could watch TV. I’m sorry to say it, but your daytime television… it sucks as much as it does in the human realm”

A slight twitch of Lucifer’s lips betrays his thoughts “Yes. I have never bothered with it”

“Me either” you state. “I don’t need to lose more brain cells.” You snort, and continue “But I digress. I met Satan for the first time at breakfast, and it appears we have some of the same tastes in novels. When he offered to keep me company after classes, was told not to visit me at breakfast, but nobody else was warned away. When Mammon knocked on the door, I opened it slightly to speak to him, and he pushed in.” You pause for a moment, collecting your thoughts. “He wasn’t bad company, really. We just talked and surfed his social media. Belphie, however, was less than impressed… he was angry at us both” glancing at your hands, you draw a shaky breath. “Mammon was trying to protect me when he took his attention away from me while he was angry… but you can see where that got him”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Has he been treating you well? Has he lost his temper with you?”

“Only today, and only briefly”, you state quietly. “Belphie has been nice, but he is a little possessive. I wonder he’ll continue to be nice… long or short term, especially with his history” you pause and look at him significantly “Beel told me about his past with the exchange student”

“I see” is all he says, and the silence lengthens for a moment. Sighing, he says “I agree, he’s being a little too possessive with you all things considered”

He may be right, but it’s your demon he’s talking about and your misguided loyalty has always led you to protect people (or in this case, demons). “Lucifer. I think he’s doing his best. Maybe he needs you to talk to him about the needs of humans who have at least a little intelligence. Today, there were no books, no internet, none of my usual hobbies and frankly I was _bored witless_. As for the possessiveness, I think I can understand it, at least a little. I am concerned about his temper with other people around me, and that I may get caught in the crossfire. I don’t believe he would have hurt me today, because I was watching his eyes and with me – he started to calm down as I spoke with him. I mean, I could be wrong… but I think if Mammon hadn’t misguidedly attempted to protect me, he would have calmed down and the bed may well be in one piece”

Humming quietly, he looks at you for a long moment. “If Belphie had picked someone as silly as Mammon, you may be dead. As it stands… he has managed to find one with more than a little intelligence, and he’s definitely not seeing to your needs in a correct manner. He has a bit to learn, it would seem.”

 _That was_ unexpected, you think to yourself, at a loss for words…. _Was that meant to be a compliment?_ You wait, as he’s obviously thinking about something, and you don’t wish to interrupt. After a significant pause he asks “Has he at least given you a DDD?

“No, I don’t believe so, and I’m not even sure what that is” you answer. You very much hope Belphie won’t be in trouble for this.

Again, he sighs. Rummaging through his drawers, he hands you a smartphone-looking device. “I trust you know how to set up a human smartphone?

“Of course”, you answer confidently.

“Good” he says. This is a DDD. It will help you keep you in contact with all seven of us here. Our contacts are already loaded in; once you are set up please send a message to the group chat” pausing he says “and to me privately. I need to know you’re being treated correctly, as I’d hate to know Lord Diavolo’s reaction if you weren’t. I would hate for us to undo all of his work unifying the realms”

You thank him, and he continues. “From tomorrow, you will be permitted to roam the house during the daytime; the exceptions are the tombs below the house - it’s not safe for you. Cerberus roams there, and you may well end up as his snack. And of course this study, or any bedroom without us there and without our permission, with the exception of the Twin’s room” he pauses for a moment “You should also be permitted to spend time with any of us at any time that Belphegor is not home should you wish, and there will be no further argument about this. You must not leave the house without Belphegor present – the Devildom is not a safe place for humans. Unless he expressly permits you to be in the company of one of us outside the house, of course. And he was right, you should not attend RAD, with or without any of us.”

“Ok” you say to him. “I can live with that”

“I shall speak to Belphegor shortly about ensuring you have something to keep you entertained throughout the day in any case. He must fully take responsibility if he chooses to keep a pet and understand that a pet has requirements that he must meet fully” Another pause, and he states “Please go back to the Twin’s room. Obviously, you will not be sleeping there tonight, and other arrangements will be made forthwith. You will be informed of this as soon as possible. Now if you excuse me, I shall go speak to Belphegor and ensure everything is dealt with in a timely manner.”

He ushers you out of the room and into the library, striding quickly away and leaving you to find the way back on your own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick one today. I'm happy enough with this but not at all happy with the next chapter, which will probably be split in two the more I think about it. And writing Levi is really starting to make me pull my hair out... I feel like it's OOC and I'm finding a direction hard. It probably isn't that bad, but I'm one of my worst critics.
> 
> I've only that one more chapter written at the moment too, which is concerning me a little, especially with appointments tomorrow So without further ado, I shall take myself forthwith to edit that, for which I shall use the working title "The Aftermath"... LOL!


	12. A Short Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waiting for the dust to settle.

It’s fortunate that you have always had a great sense of direction – otherwise, you’d be completely lost in the labyrinthine house that you are in, rather than back in the room which you’ve been sharing with Beel and your owner.

You’ve absconded to the alcove on the second floor, as far away from Beel as you can possibly get – being unable to handle the sorrowful looks he kept sending your way. As he is only answering in single words, all attempts at communication become painful, no matter how much you want attempt to make him feel better. In the end you just had to take yourself out of view and into an area where you could avoid having to see him so dejected and incommunicative. In the relative peace of the alcove, you are able to set up the DDD-thing to your liking; personalising the background and tones, then creating your own email and social media accounts.

Within seconds of creating anything on any Social Media platform, Asmo appears in your notifications as a follower or friend, depending on the application. You figure it’s only a matter of time before the other brothers follow suit.

As requested, you send a message to Lucifer to assure him you have completed the setup. He replies reasonably quickly all things considered, stating he will come for you as soon as possible and that alternate sleeping arrangements are being discussed.

This done, you wonder how to go about sending a message to a group chat – it’s not set up on your phone as such, and it feels a little presumptuous to just add beings you barely know into one. While you are pondering how to go about this particular set of orders from Lucifer, your DDD starts to blow up with notifications.

Asmo has decided to start posting and tagging you in photographs. Dozens and dozens of them. You at the table with him, at Majolish trying on outfits, and one of the back of you as you walk home with a tag about your rear end that you really don’t approve of. One that is bound to annoy Belphie – you’re smiling, and he’s whispering in your ear, and while the photo itself shouldn’t be too much of an issue, the tags “shipping” the pair of you are _bound_ to get a rise from your owner if previous discussions are anything to go by.

Groaning internally, you shoot him a private chat message telling him to knock it off; instead he actually _squeals_ through text - _How can he be so loud in text as well as in person?_ you wonder - and bombards your phone with messages instead. After some persuasion, he takes down the offensive photo and tags, but not without a stream of crying and pouting demon emojis which only stop after you promise you’ll take more photos with him tomorrow in some of your cute outfits (and no, _not_ wearing the lingerie he bought. No, you _won’t_ change your mind…)

Attempting to divert his attention from that particular line of thought, you mention Lucifer’s wish for you to send a group chat message and your dilemma as to the best way to set it up. Within seconds of sending your concern to him, you have a notification on your phone; the problem of this has been solved it seems, though now Asmo has a new place to rack up notifications on your phone.

{AsmoBaby New chat thread!!}

{AsmoBaby New chat thread!!}

{AsmoBaby This is going to be _sooo_ much fun!!}

{AsmoBaby We should take a new group chat icon to celebrate! I can’t wait!}

{stn Why are you spamming our phones this time, Asmo?}

{AsmoBaby You’re not excited that Belphie’s human as a phone??}

{AsmoBaby I’m definitely standing next to them in the icon picture}

{Mammoney Oy, Asmo, no way. I’m standing next to them}

{PillO Do I get a say in this?}

{PillO Surely, I should be next to Belphegor…?}

{L3V1 Hey!!! Why are there so many notifications? Why is there a new chat?}

{L3V1 Is it because I have you normies on mute?}

[L3V1 You know I’m in the middle of an important raid!}

 _Ah_ you think to yourself. _The mysterious seventh brother rears his head._

{L3V1 Wait, there’s a new person in the chat?

{L3V1 Who is this _PillO_ and why are they in the chat?}

{L3V1 Are you lot messing with me?}

{AsmoBaby That’s Belphie’s human! They are _soooo_ cute, I can hardly bear it!!}

{L3V1 Wait, what? _Belphie’s_ _human?? BELPHIE???_ }

 _{L3V1_ Why did nobody tell me about this?}

{L3V1 Seriously, I’m the last to know?? It’s not fair!!}

{stn If you came out of your room more often, you would know already}

As the insults are traded, and the notifications fly through, you sigh, putting down the DDD and stand to stare out of the window at the stars and lights of the Devildom. The night vista is pretty, colourful lights winking across the skyline but you’re tired and wishing that you could just have a nap before dinner – even though there’s currently nowhere to nap in the room. The alcove would leave your legs cramped, and there’s no way you’d ask Beel in his dejected state if you could share his bed.

No, there is no further course of action but to wait on Lucifer’s pleasure.

Thankfully though you don’t have to wait too much longer, as you hear the door open and Lucifer’s voice is recognisable; so is Beel’s voice in his curt reply. Footsteps head up the stairwell, and Lucifer glances at you. “Come” is all he says, turning on his heel and heading straight back downstairs. And what choice do you have but to follow?

He leads you up a corridor, up a flight of stairs, through more corridors to another stairwell that seems familiar. Climbing this final narrow, steep stairwell leads you to the first room from the day you arrived. A glass ceiling, a myriad of stars. And Belphie, who looks decidedly sulky as he arranges the blankets and pillows you found him sitting in when you met him.

He glances at you, briefly, but continues with his shuffling of soft furnishings. Lucifer speaks. “It has been decided that you will both, for at least this evening, be sleeping here. The others in the household will be told not to disturb you both this evening under any circumstances. You will have your meal brought to you. Belphegor, do you understand”

Belphie mutters under his breath but all you can make out is the word “yes” in amongst it; with the underlying tone of his voice, you figure that’s probably for the best.

“You will stay with him” says Lucifer, turning to face you “unless you feel uncomfortable with this.” The statement in the voice becomes a question on his face, which you know Belphie cannot see with his back turned.

With no hesitation and _definitely_ more confidence than you feel, you answer “I’m fine with that, and would rather stay here, thank you”

He looks at you for a long moment, gauging how much truth is in your statement. “Well” he says. “If for any reason you change your mind, you have our contact details. Sleep well. I do not expect to be disturbed by either of you again this evening. I will now deal with Mammon” He nods at you curtly with a small smile on his lips and stalks out the door, closing it behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a freeking migraine. It's setting off my neurological condition, so life's just "fun" right now. I am less than impressed, just saying. At least this was cross-checked this morning. The next chapter is written, and I have a rough outline for what I would like for the next couple of chapters.
> 
> However. I need to apply for a job before I even consider it - had a (productive) discussion with the people I've enrolled with to help find employment and was told that I sell myself short. They're right, I cannot sell myself to save my life lol. Doubt I'll get it with my "special" requirements, but hey, you don't ask, you don't receive... yes? And the good news is I may get a course free of charge. 
> 
> So, due to the above, I may skip tomorrow - will try hard not to, but if I do, I apologise in advance o_o


	13. Very Minor Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the little incident.

Left at a loss for what to do next, stand awkwardly in the middle of the room. After a few minutes, it becomes obvious that Belphie intends to continue giving you the cold shoulder as he shuffles and reshuffles the blankets and pillows unnecessarily.

Rather than doing nothing while waiting on him to come around you walk past him, deciding to look around the room. The water flowing from the fountain is cold to the touch, splashing playfully from the rim of the bowl into the wide round base. You watch the colourful Koi swimming lazy circles in the base, mesmerised by the flashing colours; the moonlight makes their scales shine all the brighter. Looking up you see the moon has now risen high above the glass ceiling, and while not at its peak it’s still close to full, casting silvery light and shadow on everything in the room – the metal planters, lacy metalwork of the arched windows, the stained-glass relief of the sun and moon phases high in the ceiling, the wing back Victorian armchairs set near small marble tables. While there are Gothic many-armed candelabras, only one is currently lit casting a soft golden glow over the table on which it sits.

Entranced by the beautiful room, you turn slowly, taking it all in with a wide smile. As you turn your gaze towards Belphegor, you find him staring at you and your rapt expression. Forgetting that you weren’t going to break the silence you say to him in excitement “Belphie, it’s so beautiful! This is the planetarium, I’m guessing?”

“Yes” he says. He is _definitely_ sulky, but at least now he’s making eye contact and not ignoring you.

 _Oh well. In for a penny…_ you think to yourself – may as well continue talking to him now. “I hope Lucifer didn’t chew you out too badly.”

He snorts “Well, apparently I have a lot to learn. _He’s_ decided that if you aren’t taken care of, he will take you off me” he looks _positively_ annoyed as he says this, and the menacing aura which means he’s close to changing into demon form swirls around him. “Apparently if I do badly, it will reflect on Lord Diavolo. I don’t know who he thinks he is. You weren’t given to _him_ , you were given to _me_ ”

Suddenly he looks at you sharply. “What exactly did you tell him when you were with him?”

“Nothing that could be construed as bad” you say, nervously. _Was I wrong to think I was safe?_ You wonder. “Um. Just that I was bored today, that Mammon barged in… that we talked and surfed his social media… that you were angry but I didn’t think you’d do anything to harm me” You pause. “Ah, well at least that’s what it felt like. He told me I am to be permitted in the common areas on RAD days, and he gave me this” You show him the DDD. “And that I may be permitted hobbies. That I’m only to leave the house with you, or with your express permission” You think, trying to remember what else - if anything - was said.

“That’s pretty much what he said, or implied was said between you” says Belphie, a brief look of relief flitting across his features being replaced instantly with his usual tired, bland expression. “He’s ordered me to buy us a new bed as soon as possible, and I’m not to leave this room whilst in this house until he has decided if there should be further consequences. Apparently, I’m being too possessive of you and need learn to have some control” He sighs, and it turns into a yawn. “I’m too tired to deal with this”

“I’m completely exhausted,” you say quietly. “I was frightened today. And Beel… poor Beel’s miserable. He would only answer me in monosyllables”

With that, he sinks into the blankets, groaning and putting his head in his hands. “I know, I can _feel_ it. I _hate_ upsetting him”

“I do hope Mammon is ok”

He snorts. “Mammon? _That_ idiot will be fine. He’s probably strung up in the stairwell by now”, at your shocked look he adds “He’s used to it, with all the stupid things he does. Though I guess what he did today wasn’t too bad. Just don’t tell him I said that” He looks up at you with a cheeky grin.

“Ok, secret is safe with me…. Do you think you should text Beel, check in with him?”

“I probably should call Beel, he’ll worry if I just text him… you know, he’ll be worrying about you too. He likes you”

“Only by proxy, because I’m yours” you say with a lopsided grin, and Belphie blushes. Attempting to hide his red cheeks, he climbs out of the nest. “I’ll just give him a quick call. I’ll stay awake better standing”

While he makes his call to Beelzebub – full of yes we’re both ok, yes the human is definitely fine, no we haven’t eaten yet, because it hasn’t been brought up yet, and we must stay in the Planetarium – you sit in one of the wing chairs and scan the ridiculous amount of notifications that have now built up in the group chat. There’s a lot of banter between all of them and you scan it briefly; it seems Mammon is blustering about his punishment which, all things considered, seems to be not too bad – he’s banned to his room for the evening much like Belphie is not to leave the planetarium. Of course this is putting a spanner into the works of one of his get-rich-quick schemes that he was telling you about earlier, and while he’s not telling the thread this, they have an idea of it even if he’s denying it in a completely ineffective manner.

You send a quick message to the thread that you’re glad Mammon is ok, and that both you and Belphie are not to leave the room either, which is met by Asmo’s sorrowful Demoji stickers

{AsmoBaby But I wanted to sit next to you at dinner}

{Mammoney Oy you sat next to them yesterday}

{AsmoBaby But I need to talk to them about tomorrow!!!}

{AsmoBaby We simply must go for a spa day!!}

{AsmoBaby Your skin is so dry. We can’t have you less than perfect!}

{AsmoBaby Say you will come!!!}

{PillO Not unless Belphie is ok with it. He’d have to come too}

{L3VI How come you get to take them for a spa day? I’ve not even met them yet!!!}

{L3VI It’s not fair!!!}

Belphie, now off the phone from Beel, is reading the current exchange and groaning quietly.

{Belphie Asmo, tomorrow is not possible. We have RAD, remember?}

{AsmoBaby Belphie, we have to! As soon as possible!!}

{AsmoBaby We need to look out for their beauty routine!}

{Belphie Maybe on the weekend.}

{AsmoBaby Yay!!! I’ll make the booking!!!!}

{Belphie I said _maybe_ Asmo….}

{L3VI Belphie, are you ignoring me?}

{Belphie No, Levi}

{Belphie When your raid is finished, you can meet them. Will you be out for breakfast?}

{L3V1 No, the raid event finishes tomorrow lunchtime.

{L3VI Bring them to my room after you get back from RAD}

{Belphie Excuse me??? Why should I have to bring them to you?}

{L3VI Because I need to catch up with my anime series. I’m so behind!!}

{L3VI And my reviews, I need to get them up online!}

{L3VI Especially for _I fell in love with a vampire and now his mother wants to feed me to the werewolves, help!_ ”}

{L3VI I finished it last week and I can’t let my followers down!}

Belphie is scowling at the phone. “Hey” you say softly, and he glances at you, his expression softening a touch. “Just tell him yes. What can it hurt?”

He sighs. “Nothing, I guess. Ok, alright, I’ll humour him, this once” He types out an affirmative reply to Levi, then informs the chat group that we’re going offline.

The sudden knock at the door makes you both start. “Let me _iiiiiiiiiin_ ” calls Asmo in a sing-song voice. “I have dinner for two!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get this edited (twice, the darned computer decided to re-start and I lost my work lol). Things are getting a bit less angsty in this chapter. Thank you for all the kind comments on the last chapter <3
> 
> Still have the migraine. But I'm a tough cookie. I've worked through ones where vision in one eye was gone. Believe me when I say that migraines are a walk in the park when compared to my main neurological/chronic pain issue lol.


	14. Dinner and Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of tooth rotting fluffy starlight time with Belphie

RIsing from your chair, you open the door for an excitable Asmo. He sashays into the room – doing it better than any woman you’ve ever known – with a large silver tray. “Ooh look at how _cosy_ you’ve made your little love-nest, Belphie!!” he coos, leaning the tray on his hip, he sets the dishes out on one of the marble tables. “I have a romantic dinner for my two _absolutely_ _favourite_ lovebirds!!”

Rolling your eyes at Belphie, you thank Asmo. He has made an effort – three courses, a small posy in a vase and a bottle of something in a wine bucket. Lighting the candelabra, he quickly and efficiently sets up as an elegant dinner for two, talking all the while about how private and cosy the meal will be, throwing in a couple of inappropriate food-related suggestions – smirking and winking at Belphie all the while. It’s obvious Asmo’s little performance is specifically to get a rise out of him. You can hear Belphie grinding his teeth from across the room.

As he puts the final touches on the table, he places the tray near the door. “It is just _so cute_ to see you guys together! You’re making me just a _little bit_ jealous… is there a little room for Asmo in here tonight too?”

Belphie is glaring at Asmo. “Absolutely not”

“You’re no fun” pouts Asmo. “If you change your mind, you know how to get in touch…. OoooooH!!!” He turns to you with a completely wicked grin. “ _Please_ tell me you’re wearing some of that lingerie I bought you tonight! Or shall I go and get you some? It’s such a _perfect_ opportunity!!”

Figuring this conversation can only get worse from here, you take control of the situation and start gently pushing the flirty demon out the door. “Asmo, thank you for bringing up the meal, you’re a legend, I appreciate the effort you have gone to with it, you’ve outdone yourself, I’m absolutely starving…. I simply must sit and eat. Have a good night” Speaking at him with barely a pause, you push him out of the door and close it quickly, throwing the bolt shut behind him. Belphie sits chuckling at your successful effort and whatever protests Asmo has are now being absorbed into the thick wooden door.

Telling Asmo that he had outdone himself was not an exaggeration. Everything is picked to perfection. The entrée that he has chosen is light, and just enough to start the meal (and not too weird for a human either). The mains balance each other perfectly for sharing – one spicy and hot, one savory and cooling – you can’t help thinking that Asmo, the little shit, obviously is doing his utmost for romance to blossom; you aren’t game to ask which of these foods are aphrodisiacs, sometimes ignorance really is bliss. There is one large portion of desert to share and a perfect bottle blood-red wine. Belphie, chuckling, informs you “This is a bottle of Demonus… and is - _was_ part of Lucifer’s private collection. I wonder how Asmo got his hands on _that_ ” The conversation is light and playful, and you find yourself enjoying the company of your owner immensely.

Once you have both sated your hunger, you pack the plates onto the tray as he goes back to the makeshift bed for the evening, laying down on his side

Looking up into your face guiltily he quietly says “I didn’t mean to frighten you today. I’m sorry”

“Already forgiven” you say, with a gentle smile. “In Lucifer’s office, to be precise. But I can’t help but worry one of you may hurt me – intentionally or otherwise”

He breaks eye contact, looking down at his fingernails and picking at the teal polish where it’s chipped. “Never intentionally”

“Unintentionally then. I’m mortal, and much weaker than you”

Humming for a moment, he rubs his eyes with the heel of his palm. “Point taken. There are some things that may… that could be put in place to prevent you coming to harm. I’ll have a discussion with Satan, and we will see what can be done”

Awkwardly, you shift from one foot to the other. “May I come with you, when you see him?” He looks at you, it’s quite obvious he thinks you shouldn’t go, so you hasten to add “Belphie…. This will affect me, so I’d like to keep informed as it were”

“I have to warn you, Satan does not have much of a filter when it comes to information. He’ll give all the details - good, bad and ugly… I can’t see all of it being good for your well-being”

“Well, that’s definitely being informed. Please. Let me come.”

He stares at you. Finally, his face softens. “Ok. But I have a condition” you frown at him, saying nothing, and he grins. “Come here, I need to get comfortable and you’re my favourite pillow”

“You’re an ass” you chuckle at him, making your way into the nest of bedding.

“You know, some people would tell you it’s not wise to take that sort of attitude with a demon” he says, his grin widening and cheeky.

“I’m not some people”

As you arrange pillows to suit yourself, you say “Big or little spoon today?” He thinks for a moment. “Neither” he says. “I’m going to sleep on you. And you’re going to improve my bad day by running your fingers through my hair again” With no further ado, he does just that. Not that you mind, but you still laugh and tell him he’s being rather demanding. He doesn’t answer, just hums a soft sound of pleasure as you card your fingers through his soft, silky hair.

Settling back further into your plump pillows with a soft, exhausted sigh, you stare at the myriad of unfamiliar stars above. A comfortable silence grows between you; the only interruption is the sudden and consistent dinging of your mutual DDD’s – obviously, someone is busy spamming the group chat. Belphie groans at the stream of notifications, and rolls over groping for his device. “We should put these on silent, or we’ll get no sleep at all” Agreeing, you follow his lead and mute your phone.

Laying back down, he lies on his side looking at you. “Beel told me that he spoke to you about the exchange student” he says. Pausing, he looks into your eyes. “I know you know what I did. I’m not going to let that happen to you”

There’s isn’t really a reply that you can give to that. Mimicking him, you roll onto your side to look at him. “Can you tell me about them, the exchange student?”

He breaks eye contact, a thoughtful look on his face. “I loved them. They couldn’t forget what I did, and I guess I can’t blame them for that.” He takes a deep breath. ”They were _lovely_. Everyone here loved them. Their soul… their soul shone like the sun, bright and blinding”

Taking your hand, he laces his fingers through yours and stares at your entwined fingers “As you said, I’m like the night sky, and they were just too radiant for someone like me.”

“Being the sun is overrated” you tell him lightly. “All heat and solar storms. Who would want that kind of drama in life? Other than maybe Asmo. Not me, that’s for sure!”

Still looking at your hands, he chuckles. “Maybe that was my problem, I should have been looking for the moon. Though maybe it’s too bright for me too”

“Hmmm. The moon was made for the night sky. I don’t believe you have any other kind of celestial body down here, should be easier for you to find”

“Stars….”

“Aren’t they just suns that are too far out of reach?”

“So the moon is in reach?”

You giggle at him. “Are we still talking about souls and waxing lyrical, or celestial bodies?”

“Both perhaps?” He grins up at you. “You know, your soul is bright too, but it’s like the moon, all silvery and light”

With your free hand, you push the hair out of his eyes and say, teasingly “Are you implying that I’m the moon made for your evening sky, Belphie?”

He looks at you surprised, blushing profusely. As you mentally facepalm yourself in embarrassment for saying something so….. _forward_ and embarrassing for him, you roll onto your back, looking out of the glass ceiling. “Do you really know a lot about the constellations?”

He clears his throat and resumes his position on your chest. “I do. Would you like me to educate you?”

“I would” you say, fingers back running through his hair. He spends the rest of the time you are both awake going over the various constellations, their history and which of them are named after the brothers. You both fall asleep much like the night before – entwined in each other’s embrace, blankets half pulled up.

* * *

_You’re watching water fall over the edge of a sandstone precipice into a wide, blue swimming hole; you’re sitting on a lichen covered rock in the centre of the pool. You don’t remember getting here, memory is… hazy._

_Something slithers around your waist. Looking down in surprise, you realise it’s Belphie’s tail pulling you close to his side. He’s in full demon form, smiling at you and for once it reaches his eyes._

_“Am I dreaming again?” you ask, wonderingly._

_“Yes” the smile is evident in his voice. “Though this place is from your memory, not mine this time. Care to tell me where we are?”_

_Looking around again, it comes back to you. “Oh. This is part of the local National Park. It’s sacred to the women of the First People. I came here with a friend once… think I nearly killed her getting down to the waterfall. I never did get back to sit on this rock, though I wanted to”_

_“It’s beautiful. Were there many places like this from your part of the Human world?”_

_“Yes, many. I was fortunate” Glancing at him out of the corner of your eye, you ask “Why did you enter my dream? Was I having a nightmare?”_

_He blushes – something which you find interesting because you’re in a dream together….. is he not in control here? “Noooo…. You needed to rest, and I just wanted to spend a little more time with you while you recharge”_

_You smile at him. Wrapping your arm around his waist, you lay your head on his shoulder, and he leans his cheek on the crown of your head as you both watch the water dancing off the rocks into the cool, blue-green pool below._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy am I late today posting this today. Didn't realise the time, got carried away writing the next chapter (or two) and outlining some ideas for upcoming chapters. The good news is, my migraine is gone. 
> 
> I'm not letting anyone who knows me in RL read this ROFLMAO. If they don't know half of the stuff going on in my brain already, they don't deserve to see it. Not giving them this kind of insight into my thoughts *evil grin* 
> 
> The place described in the dream - it exists, it's not awfully far from where I live. I did think my good friend might die going down LOL - not concerned for my well-being, because scrambling is over rocks is something I've done all my life. It is an Aboriginal sacred site for women, and men are asked not to go into the water. I have a photo of it somewhere on one of my SM accounts.


	15. Daybreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day in the House of Lamentation begins, in the usual chaotic manner.

Waking to the early morning light – it’s odd that there’s a change in light here, with there being no sun to speak of, and it’s not bright, more like a twilight gloom all day – you find that through the night you’ve shifted and have a warm entity spooning you, gently breathing on your neck. And a tail lazily wrapped over your torso and around one of your legs. Wondering how you’re going to get out of this particular… trap? No, not trap, it’s not unpleasant… but you shift around a little, trying to move some of the sleep aches from your bones from sleeping on the floor.

“Mmm. Stay still. I’m comfortable” murmurs Belphie behind you.

“Awesom. Well I’m not. I need to shift a bit. And don’t you have school, young man?” you reply groggily.

“Not if I skip it.”

“Do you _really_ want to piss Lucifer off two days in a row…? I heard what he was saying to Mammon the other morning over breakfast”

He groans, untangling his tail and shifting his weight backwards, and you feel the cold air between your torsos. “You didn’t have to ruin my morning so quickly. Ugh. You’re the worst”

“Not true. You’re lucky to have me” you sit up with a yawn, stretching your stiff shoulders.

When you glance at him, he is laying on his side, one violet eye looking at you, the other buried in his pillow, a slight smile on his features and you wonder how someone could wake up looking so damned pretty. You’re sure you have bed hair and look a wreck… you need to clean up for breakfast.

“So. Pray tell, where is the closest bathroom? I would like to reassemble myself a little before dealing with your brothers.”

“We’ll have to sneak down to the bedroom. And hope Beel is off working out. I’m going to pinch his bed while I wait for you”

“Mmmm sounds like a plan, just wish there was a bathroom closer”, you sigh regretfully

You both stand, stretching – your back gives an embarrassingly loud pop – and make your way down the stairs as quietly and stealthily as possible. With nobody in sight, you move as quickly as possible through the house and your relief at making it there without being seen is palpable. Humming to yourself, you turn to the wardrobe and try to decide what to wear.

Belphie is already in Beel’s bed, looking like a human Burrito, visible from the tip of his nose up. “Wear the blue one.” You touch one of the outfits in your wardrobe and look at him questioningly. “No not that one – left – a bit more – yes that one. I liked it on you”

Smiling at him, you head to the bathroom to make yourself presentable for the day, managing to get through it in record time. As you exit the bathroom again, the Bephie-rito is snoring softly. Beel, dressed in workout gear, is looking at him with a grin, which he directs at you when he notices you enter.

“Getting him up in the morning has always been hard. How did you sleep?”

“Morning Beel, not too badly. A bed is always going to be more comfortable, but the planetarium is a nice place to sleep” you lean over Belphie, giving him a gentle shake “Rise and shine, sleepyhead”

“MMM. Don’t wanna. Come back to bed” he tries his best to pull you down, Beel quietly laughing in the background.

“Oh no you don’t, mister. Get in the bathroom and get ready”

“So bossy” he says, then yawns and sits up. “Oh hi, Beel”

“Morning, Belphie. I hear your punishment was fairly lenient. I wonder if Lucifer is getting sick”

“I don’t really care, as long as it stays that way” grins Belphie. You give him a pointed look, and he exclaims in exasperation “OK!! OK, I’m going!!”

Once he has the door firmly closed, Beel turns to you and grins. “I don’t know how you got him going so quickly”

“No idea” you say shrugging. “I do know he doesn’t want to let go once he’s comfortable!”

“No, he doesn’t” Glancing across the room at the space where the bed once was – someone has now cleaned the remnants away, you notice – he asks “Do you know when you will be returning to this room?”

“I don’t. I’m not sure he’s bought a bed yet, but he’s been told he has to”

“I’ll get him onto it today. It’s quiet on my own, I missed you guys last night”

“You missed him, you mean” you say with a smile, so he knows you don’t mean anything nasty, nor are you hurt by your statement of facts.

“Yes. I missed him. But I missed seeing him happy, and that’s you”

“Oh” you say softly. “But…. I’ve been here… what, two and a bit days? How can I have made such a difference?”

“You have” he sits on the edge of his bed, and motions for you to do the same. “He’s gloomy usually. That’s just him Since you arrived, he’s smiling all the time”

“Ummm not all the time” you say, indicating where the bed once was

“Yes. Well. He can be protective when he’s fond of someone”

“Fond!!??” you say, incredulous.

Beel smiles. “Yes, fond. Oh, he’ll fake it, and he does it well, but it’s not fake with you. I don’t know what you said when you met him - but you won him over. I knew it immediately”

“Immediately that you didn’t see me as food”

Poor Beel blushes. “Yeah. Sorry”

You laugh, and give him a gentle, good natured shove. “All good, buddy. Just teasing”

Belphie, now dressed in his RAD uniform, steps out of the bathroom. “Right, let’s get down to breakfast before Beel gets there” he says, grinning at his brother.

Beel just smiles, and steps into the bathroom. You, however, roll your eyes at Belphie. “Where did you learn to dress yourself?” Walking over to him, you fix his collar and move to do up his bottom buttons on his jacket.

He blushes and steps back “What are you doing?”

You snort. “If you _think_ I’m going to have my demon walking around like a half dressed yobbo, you have another think coming. Stand still” The blush turns a deeper shade on his cheeks, but he doesn’t move further as you dress him. “There. Now we can go down. And now Asmo can’t ask what we were doing for you to get in that state” This makes him chuckle, and you make your way down into the dining room.

Everyone is there, except Beel and Levi of course. Mammon is the first to spot you. “Oy, Human, sit here” he shouts across the room, making Lucifer scowl and Satan smirk. You do, as you don’t really care where you sit today, making Asmo pout. Belphie sits quickly on the other side of you, scooting his chair close enough to brush against your arm with every movement - earning a pointed look from the eldest, and sparking a new line of amusement from Asmo.

“Well well, my little lovebirds, how was your little date night? Did you have a nice meal together? Did you manage to sleep _at all_ …? Details, darlings, I need _all_ the sordid details!!!” Belphie is giving him the death stare, leaving it up to you to answer.

“Not at breakfast, Asmo. And not without coffee” you state flatly, as Beel walks in, jacket hanging loosely (another demon who can’t dress himself). He takes his place at the table next to Belphie and commences filling the bottomless pit of his stomach.

“Ooooh let me fix you a coffee, my precious little flower!” he turns to make you a morning-brain-enhancer, while you are left to mouth “Precious flower” at Belphie, who’s quietly laughing at your reaction. You whack him gently on the arm to stop him laughing at you.

Turning your back on him, and coincidentally rubbing your arm against his again, you turn to Mammon. “Thanks for keeping me company yesterday. I enjoyed talking to you. We must do it again sometime”

Your new superpower, apparently, is making demons blush. Mammon stutters “I-I… um… ok…. Well of course you enjoyed my company, who wouldn’t? I might be able to spare ya some more time today. You should be grateful, I’m a busy guy!”

Satan snorts “Scum more like”, and you raise your eyebrows at him; he just sends you a small smile… effectively saying without words _I acknowledge your statement, what are you going to do about it?_

Nothing, apparently.

All of this takes place in a couple of seconds…. Enough time to set Asmo off.

“You **_can’t_** seriously spend more time with _him_ today!!! Spend this afternoon with _me_ , I’m free after lunch and all yours, my little cupcake!! I _must_ give you a mini-facial! Your skin is _terrible_ , darling, and we simply cannot have your demon-friend over there going off you because you’re less than perfect, not when you have me around!!! Of course…. _If_ he does…. I might be able to find some space for you in my humble abode” he says, flicking his eyes sideways at Belphie who growls, but holds his tongue.

Lucifer, however, does not. “Asmo, that’s quite enough.”

“Asmo, if you promise to keep your hands in approved areas, and quit the damned flirting for a bit, maybe – _maybe –_ I’ll spend the afternoon with you” You say, as cautiously as possible in an attempt to ensure all possible loopholes are covered by your statement.

He’s more excited than you’ve seen him so far. “Oh petal, I can’t wait! I promise you won’t regret it, you’re going to look like the divine little diamond that I know you can be! Leave it to Asmo!! I’m going to go check my stock of products before RAD, excuse me please – I must ensure there’s enough, and it’s good for your skin, and human safe, and that you have all the choice I possibly could find for you!” Sweeping out of his chair – Lucifer and Belphie glaring, for different reasons, Satan amused and Mammon a bit peevish because he didn’t get his way – he sweeps over to you, kisses you on the cheek with a “Ciao” and leaves in a hurry.

“Hey, why did you pick him! You should have picked me” Mammon _finally_ gets a word in edgewise.

Sighing, you say “I spent time with you yesterday. I’ll spend time with you again, I promise”

Satan cuts in “And you must spend time with me, like we discussed – there’s so many books I wish to speak with you about”

Smiling at him, you say “We shall. I promise”

Lucifer rubs his temple, “You can discuss it later. We will be late if we don’t leave now”

And you really shouldn’t say it… really you shouldn’t - but you do anyway, with a cheeky grin “Aren’t you all going to kiss me goodbye like Asmo did?”

Mammon turns scarlet from temple to collar and flees of the room, sputtering the whole way. Satan and Lucifer look shocked, Belphie looks shocked and annoyed. Beel, however, knows you’re doing it for the reaction. He wipes his mouth, kisses your cheek chastely and says, “I’ll see you tonight. Have a good day” His eyes sparkle in contained amusement at you as he leaves the room. Your laugh is unreserved and joyful. As they exit the room bidding you a good day, Satan glances at you and Lucifer is shaking his head at your antics.

Belphie shakes his head. “Did you _seriously_ do that for the reaction”

“Of course! Why else would I have done it?” you say, and smile at him. “Though you didn’t look impressed, did you really think I wanted to make out with your brothers?”

He drops his gaze. “No. Well, I don’t know. Maybe”

“Belphie, I don’t want them to kiss me. Relax! But I must say, Beel was priceless. He knew my game” you say, giggling.

“Ha. Yes, I didn’t expect him to do that.” He smiles. “I should head off too. Don’t let Asmo do anything too….” He blushes and can’t finish the statement, knowing full well what Asmo might get up to in the privacy of his room

“I won’t. Not interested, even if he probably would know what he’s doing. Have a good day, Belphie. Come by his room and pick me up after you’re done at RAD?”

“I will” Walking over, he shocks you, placing a gentle kiss on your cheek. It lingers _just_ a tiny bit longer than can be considered chaste. “Have fun, and don’t get into too much mischief” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like yesterday was only one chapter, because this is pretty much all I have written right now lol. Going to try spending the afternoon writing, whilst cooking. Maybe apply for a job. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow... lol.
> 
> This fiction just keeps growing, the more I think about what's next the longer it gets! I'm looking forward finding out what is tentatively going to happen at around Chapter 19, and again at 25ish. My writing style is very much "go with the flow". Having people enjoying this is heartwarming - this may well be the only thing I ever write; it's kind of a "bucket-list" thing lol.
> 
> Found the photo of the dream-place, if anyone is interested. If you stalk... errr I mean look, please let me know your thoughts. I didn't bother enhancing this one, for a change:  
> https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=906194019859259&set=a.133392183806117


	16. Your New Best “Fiend”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have an afternoon bonding session with your new best non-gender-specificfriend, Asmodean

Left to your own devices for the morning, you’re just not sure where to start with your exploration. The house is huge, and you are a little too excited to start exploring – however, you’re also not sure if you want to do it all in a day, as it appears you may be here for a while. At least, you hope you’ll be around for a while, the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

In the end, you settle for finding the huge library. With so many reading choices available, you’re unsure where to start. The cataloguing defies any sort of logic for you – there must be some reasoning to it, but it’s definitely not sorted alphabetically or by genre; you make a note to speak to the resident blonde bookworm about it in the near future. By sheer luck you stumble across a couple of murder mysteries and an unfamiliar novel by one of your favourite sci-fi authors, so you take all of them to the overstuffed chez longue and settle in for a quiet morning of living through the eyes and thoughts of someone else.

Before you know it, the clock is chiming midday and you realise Asmo will be here soon to drag you into a skincare routine. You stretch and check your DDD; it’s been quiet – you realise it’s still on mute and you rectify this - there’s quite a number of notifications. Scanning through them quickly, it seems to just be a whole load of banter. These guys definitely spend most of their time stirring each other, you realise – you’ll have to pay more attention, as it could be something you could have fun with. Today Asmo – with a supporting cast of Mammon and Satan – is busy teasing your poor owner, tormenting him ceaselessly about you and last night, speculating on what _exactly_ did happen and assuring the group that he’s going to get the full story out of you this afternoon.

Before you can weigh in on the subject, the front door can be heard closing and a high voice cuts through the air calling for you. “I’m in the Library, Asmo” you call back.

“Darling! Are you ready to be made positively wonderful?”

“I think you have high hopes, sweetheart” you say with a cheeky grin. “But I’m willing to let you try”

He grins and says “Don’t you _dare_ underestimate me! I have the kind of skills your human beauticians can only _dream_ of. Now, come with me, my sweet little pumpkin, don’t be shy!”

Rolling your eyes at the stream of ridiculous pet names, you follow him into a beautiful room, full of roses and the soft scent of blooms – nothing too overpowering, thankfully, but just enough to calm the senses and relax the mind without setting off hay fever. He pushes you into a swivel chair in front of a vanity mirror.

“Do I _really_ have to look at myself? I’m not a big fan, personally”

“Sweetheart, what is wrong with you? You’re simply divine!!!”

“I think you need your eyes checked, honey. Just saying”

He tuts at you. “You’re selling yourself short. Now, let me polish the raw stone that you are, and make you shine like the diamond you are”

You snort. “At least we might make my skin a bit better. Fertiliser may be good for plants, but it does nothing for human skin and hair. But….” You pause, realisation dawning on you. “How are you going be able to do this, if you can’t touch me?” This morning when attempting to take it off before showering, you had found that your choker/collar was unable to be removed. In fact, it doesn’t even seem to have a clasp or a knot to undo it; just one soft, light-absorbing black circle of ribbon snaking around your neck.

“Fear not, my little petunia, I have spoken with Belphie about this already via chat this morning. Allow me to walk you through what to do”

You follow his directions to gently close your eyes, take the pendant into the fingers of both hands and focus on the metal and the intention to allow Asmo permission to touch you. He may not be aware of it, but you’ve added into this… feeling… that the touch is not to be inappropriate, and you wonder what he’d think of you for doing this.

Under his direction, the cool smooth metal starts to change temperature, becoming the same temperature as your fingers and continuing to warm until it’s on the cusp of being too hot to touch. You report this to Asmo, who then directs you to open your eyes.

“Do you think it worked?” you ask nervously. “I don’t want to hurt you”

Asmo purses his lips, and without warning touches your arm. “You have done it perfectly, not even a tingle! Now, let’s get started!”

Figuring that, once you agreed to his ministrations you never had a darned choice in the matter, you close your eyes and allow the demonic hurricane of kindness (and unfortunate flirtation) that is Asmo take care of you. His touch is that of a best friend rather than a lover, and he keeps his hands to himself as well as his flirtatious nature whilst working on your skin. He’s actually sweet, like the best girlfriend you never had, and as the afternoon wears on you find you like him more and more, despite his fixation on the physical appearance (and other…. physical things)

The only complaint you might have is his penchant for gossip. He grills you mercilessly regarding your relationship with your owner and is _exceedingly_ disappointed with the fact that you haven’t slept with him in the not-safe-for-work manner he’d hoped for. “You are such a tease” he pouts. “After your comment at breakfast I thought you guys _must_ have danced the horizontal tango!!!”

“Geez!! No, Asmo. We are not that close. It’s been only a few days!!!”

“Time is nothing, darling, when it comes to these things. Minutes are enough!”

“Maybe for you! Not for me!!” you say, blushing.

As he removes what feels like a mile-wide helping of skin-rejuvenating mask from your face, he encourages to hear all the interactions you’ve had with Belphie since arriving, and listens attentively to what actually has transpired between the two of you over the very short time of your acquaintance, humming thoughtfully.

“I must admit, Belphie is the most… enamoured… I’ve seen him with any being. _Ever_. Even the succubus who we thought had him under her thrall a couple of centuries ago didn’t have him acting like he does with you” he says, pursing his lips. “Looks to me that you, my little dumpling, have him wrapped around your pinky finger”

“I don’t think so” you scoff

“Oh, I know so” he gives you a knowing smirk. “I can feel when someone has attraction, lust, love… it’s my sin, you know….” As he starts to apply foundation, he says “Let’s make you gorgeous. I know you’re dressed to kill, I just _love_ that blue on you, but…. you need just a teeny tiny bit of enhancement”

Apparently, enhancement takes over an hour, which is not so great for your ego. As your new best fiend applies blush, eyeshadow, bronzer, lip liner, lipstick and lip gloss (you fight him to keep it as natural as possible, the purple he wants to apply may be pretty but it’s not found naturally on a human eye unless you’ve been hit there) he finally steps back and swivels your chair so you can look at his efforts. “Tah-dah!!! What do you think, my precious little peach?”

Looking back at you in the mirror, is you. Well sort of. It’s a new and improved version thereof. You tell your excitable friend as much, and his smile lights up the room.

“Of course!!! You, my darling, look delectable!!! I’m glad you think so, and I’m so thrilled I could make you feel good! Now, how about a massage, you look so dreadfully tense? Or a bath? I could help you relax, there’s so many amazing bath products that I need testing right now, how about you give me your thoughts? Or we could always bathe together…”

When Belphie walks in right at this moment, you’ve never been more relieved. He stops in the doorway, leaning on the frame with a grin. “Hey you. Ready to go meet my otaku brother?”

Asmo pouts. “Are you at least going to tell them how _amazing_ I have made them look?

His eyes roam over you, head to toe. “Well yes, the makeup is pretty good, as you well know. But they look good without it. Not that I really care much about the way they look.”

“ _Seriously_?!? What is _wrong_ with you???” Asmo squeals in your ear, making you wince.

“Not all of us are hung up on looks, Asmo. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take my favourite pillow and spend the evening with them.”  
  
Smirking, Asmo winks at Belphie. “Sure. You just ‘ _spend the evening_ ’ with them. You know I can sense how you feel, little brother of mine. Better make sure to…. seal the deal, as it were, or some other demon might just beat you to it.”

Belphie growls; there’s a slight pressure in the air and you know he’s only just keeping his temper in check. “ _Remember_ who they belong to, Asmodeus. I won’t have you take advantage of them, and if I find you are… you best not sleep.”

Asmo looks shocked “Are you _actually_ threatening me?”

Taking a deep breath, Belphie visibly calms himself before stating in a calm voice “I am threatening _anyone_ who threatens the well-being of my pet, or my claim upon them”

“You are awfully attached, my dear sibling” Asmo says quietly. “Very well. I’ll behave, no matter how sorely tempted I am. But you know I won’t be the only one tempted by such a delicious little morsel.”

“I know” says Belphie quietly. Glancing at you, he says “Come on. Let’s go get this meeting with Levi over with”

Quickly you thank Asmo for his kindness this afternoon and follow Belphie out the door…. filing the little interaction between the demons away in your mind to puzzle over later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pleased to say that I have managed to write the next chapter. Please don't misunderstand this, as I definitely don't hate the Otaku brother of the family - writing Levi into this was *HarD*. I'm glad it's done, and I have some "bones" for the next chapter. But it's 3pm here in Australia, and I need to call the Vet and I need to start on some cooking. I don't want to lol....


	17. Meeting Leviathan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to meet Leviathan.

Following your owner, you traverse the hallways of the house ending at a doorway on the same level as the Twin’s room. Belphie raps smartly on it with his knuckles.

“What’s the password”

“The password is “damned well let me in, Levi”. Do you want to meet my human, or not?”

There’s some unintelligible grumbling from inside the room. The door is opened just a crack, peeking through it you can see one single glowing orange eye, purple bangs, pale skin… and part of a decidedly sulky mouth. “Just the two of you?”

“Yes, Levi. Now let us in!!”

Levi opens the door, promptly turning his back leaving you and Belphie to close the door behind you. Climbing into a bathtub where he has arranged blankets, he continues on with watching anime on his massive television, chin on his hand that’s resting on the edge of the tub.

“So, you demand us to come to your room, and then you decide to ignore us?” Belphie says in exasperation. “What is wrong with you?”

“I told you. I need to catch up, I’m behind.” His eyes flick to you momentarily, then back at the screen. “I don’t know what all the fuss is about, it’s just some human normie you’ve managed to find”

“You’re the one who put on a fuss in the chat group wanting to meet them”

“It’s a bit rude leaving me to last to find out”

“You think? Who’s been too busy playing with pixels to actually leave his room to meet them?”

He turns his orange glare at your demon. “Don’t make this about me being an otaku. You know how important my event raids on Realm of BattleSkill are to me”

“I’m not making it about anything except the fact that you weren’t willing to meet them until today, regardless of anything you say” Belphie yawns “You are exhausting at the best of times. You wanted to meet them, here they are. At least speak to them”

You find yourself at the receiving end of Levi’s bright orange eyes, peeking out from underneath indigo bangs. “So. Are you into anime? Are you a gamer? Do you read?”

Still a bit surprised at this obvious attempt to ignore his visitors after the bluster in the chat thread, these questions get your back up a bit. “No, yes and yes. Any other questions?”

He is taken aback, surprise evident on his face at the bluntness with which you returned his questions. “Um. No, you don’t watch anime? Why not?”

“Don’t have a problem with it, just not had much opportunity.”

“What games do you play?”

“Whatever I find interesting at the time. I do get bored with them easily.”

“No loyalty then?” he scoffs

“Not unless the developers ensure it’s interesting. It’s got to hold my attention, and if it makes me laugh too then I’m usually in it for longer”

“Huh. Well. Reading. What do you read? Manga?”

“Not really, again not had the time. Mostly sci-fi and murder mysteries, but I pretty much read anything”

“Satan must _love_ you”

“Like, sure. Love - doubt it, especially after this morning”

Belphie chuckles quietly in the background. Levi snorts. “You really are just a normie aren’t you”

“Normal is _not_ a word that usually applies to me. Are you always this offensive, or are you making a special effort for my benefit?”

Belphie roars with laughter at your brattiness, while Levi splutters and blushes. “I know someone like _you_ would just think I’m some yukky otaku, so why don’t you just leave?”

“Excuse me, Leviathan…. Levi? I never said – or thought, for that matter you were ‘yukky’. Rude, abrupt…. sure, I thought that. But being passionate about something is good, as far as I am concerned. If someone has something they love, like you do, I’m always happy to learn about it. Let me be blunt though, the fact that you’re putting words in my mouth is unbelievably closed minded. Maybe you need to give people a chance before writing them off completely”

His face registers shock, offence at being called out, then thoughtfulness. After a moment he asks “Do you know the ‘The Tale of the Seven Lords’ by Christopher Peugeot?”

“No. But I’m happy to learn, as long as you stop being rude”

“ _What_??? You don’t know of it? You are a human, and you heard of the best series ever created??? Seriously, what is wrong with you humans, none I’ve encountered seem to know of it!!!”

You snort at him, but he continues, hardly even taking a breath “You _have_ to see it. Christopher Peugeot is a master writer!!!”

“I’m happy to watch it. Seems I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands.”

“I’ll watch it with you!!! We should do a marathon! And I can lend you my TSL books. Not the first editions, of course, but the seconds if you promise to keep them in pristine condition. Oh, but there are slight differences, between both of the series! We must watch them both – the second series is so much better! And of course television is always different to the books, but that’s natural because it’s such a big series!”

A little stunned by the sudden 180 degree turn in attitude that Levi has now pulled on you, you quickly say before he continues “I’m happy to watch it with you; if you have an early day at RAD come find me.”

“I don’t go to RAD. I do online classes. Do you… do you actually _really_ want to watch it with me?”

The hopeful look on his face is bewildering, and a tiny bit heartbreaking. _Is he really that lonely_? You wonder.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I didn’t want to”

“Awesome!!! And maybe we can play some games together? I need a Player Two for some of my games!”

The discussion devolves into games he plays versus games you play - while you’re not a huge gamer, there’s some you particularly enjoy and it definitely sounds like ‘Malak III Harvester of Spirits’ may be up your alley. He promises to get you a gaming system so you can play from the comfort of your room with the twins, and you promise to make time for him at least a couple of times each week - it all sounds like a plan to keep you amused, at the very least.

During this discussion you turn to Belphie with a smile. He’s giving Levi a very flat stare, but when he sees your eyes on him he smiles at you. His smile appears to be reserved only for Beel and you, which makes your chest feel warm. Returning it, you ask “You’ll play with us too won’t you? Sometimes, at least?”

“I suppose” he says, and your smile slips a little. He quickly adds “I mean, when I’ve not got heaps of study”

“Good” you say excitedly. “I can’t wait to kill some pixels with you both!!!”

“Not tonight though, I’m tired” he smiles at your excitement

“No, not tonight. Once we have the gaming system set up though….”

“Sure” he says. “But we have to get going. We have to look at a new bed for us, and we’ve distracted Levi enough – he will need to re-watch this episode”

Yelping, Levi scrambles for the remote control. “I’m going to have to find where I was, I need to catch up and get my reviews online on how the series is! I can’t believe I got distracted!!!”

“It’s because you’re going to introduce someone to something you are passionate about” you smile at him. “I’m looking forward to it”

Levi covers his face with the back of his hand, fist curled, attempting to hide his blush. “W-welll…. Y-yeah… I am too… I suppose.”

Laughing, you say to him. “You are - you know you want to introduce someone new to TSL. I’m sure I’ll like it _almost_ as much as you”

Belphie laughs, and you both take your leave from the purple-haired demon, as he returns to watching his shows in private.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been the hardest chapter to write, I've struggled with writing Levi so badly - rewrote this a number of times. I hope I've got him right finally.


	18. A place for Repose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family fluff with Beel and Belphie.

Belphie leads you from Levi’s room, back into the twin’s room. Beel is laying across his bed, studying – he looks up as you both enter and greets you with a smile that nearly splits his face. It’s hard not to have a soft spot for him, and you walk over giving him a hug which he returns without pause.

“Hey” pouts Belphie. “You don’t greet me like that!!!”

“So? _You_ don’t greet me like that either” you say, with a cheeky grin.

Belphie wraps his arms around your waist and playfully pulls you off his massive brother. “Well, you can make it up to me now”

Laughing, you turn and throw your arms around his neck. “Happy now, you jealous little shit?”

“Hey, I’m not jealous! I’m Sloth, not Envy!!”

 _He’s so much more relaxed around Beel than any of his other brothers_ , you think to yourself.

Beel laughs heartily at Belphie’s antics. “Where are you guys sleeping tonight? I’m assuming it’s back up in the planetarium”

“Probably” Belphie hums, his head nuzzled in the crook of your neck. Your attempt at wriggling away from him is met by him pulling you tighter to him, making it impossible to break free.

“Hey Beel, did you remind this giant leech that’s hanging off me to buy a bed today?”

“Nope.” He grins at you. “He fell asleep in his lunch plate. Devilled Beans all over his face”

“Oh” You say chuckling; then sheepishly add. “Oops. I may have missed lunch”.

He looks completely horrified at this admission. “Why???? _Why_ would you do that? You _have_ to keep your strength up! Humans are so much weaker than demons, we can’t have you getting sick!”

“I’m not even sure where the kitchen is”, you admit. “The events of the other day overshadowed any possibility of a tour; and I don’t think we can today. I don’t think we’re permitted out of the Planetarium yet…. Unless Lucifer has told you otherwise?”

“No” Belphie sighs into your skin; his voice thrums through your torso. “We probably should be in there now. We’ll have to definitely be in there before he gets home”

Beel thinks for a moment. “I’ll get one of the others to bring you something to the Planetarium. I’d do it, but I cannot guarantee it would make it” He looks sad admitting this, rubbing his stomach.

You grin “It’s ok Beel, we understand and know you can’t help it. Just do me a favour? _Please_ don’t send Asmo. He’s sweet and means well but… he’s had enough fun at our expense for one day.”

He smiles at you, soft and warm as he agrees to have someone else bring you food. _Ok, if Belphie gets sick of me… Mammon or Beel would be my picks for owner transference_ you think to yourself _Though Beel might accidentally eat me in his sleep, so maybe not!_

Belphie pulls away suddenly, and you nearly lose your balance at the quickness of it. “I have this. Should tide you over until you can eat properly” He grabs three packets from his drawer, throwing two at Beel to keep him occupied, and he opens the other for you. They remind you of potato crisps, only they are starchier and have a little more… _chew_ to them. “Anyway, I’m glad I could wait to discuss the bed with you. It’s going to be _ours_ , after all.”

You blush and glance away from him. “That’s thoughtful of you. But if anyone knows sleeping comfort, it would be you. I trust your judgement, sloth man”

He sits on the edge of Beel’s bed, patting the space next to him and chuckling. “Maybe so, but I still want to talk to you about it. Thankfully, the headboard is still in one piece, so all we need is a new mattress and base”

Opening Doogle on his DDD, he starts surfing the Devilnet for something that he deems suitable for repose. “I’d been considering upgrading anyway, so I guess it’s not such a bad thing that this happened.” He starts discussing the optimum benefits of each item that catches his eye finds, then narrows it down to four. Considering he is Sloth personified, he does it all in a quick and efficient manner.

“So – I don’t like hard mattresses. Do you prefer soft or medium?” he asks, flicking between tabs.

“What you had before you destroyed it was comfortable” you say.

In the end, he settles for one with a huge pillow-top on the mattress. In the end, he chooses it himself, but each step is discussed with you. He seems excited by the new acquisition, showing Beel the purchase in his pleasure.

“Looks good” says Beel. “Perhaps you should throw Mammon through my bed, then you can buy me a matching one!”

“Do it yourself” says Belphie with a grin. “There. I’ve paid for express delivery; our bed should arrive tomorrow. Now I’m tired…. We should go up to the Planetarium. Lucifer should be back soon.”

“Well, I’m off to Fangol training”, says Beel, and he adds to you “It’s a sport, you probably haven’t heard of it have you? We’ll have to get Belphie to bring you to one of my games sometime”

“That would be nice” you smile at him. He hugs both you and Belphie farewell, and you all head to your respective locations.

Arriving into the planetarium, you and Belphie settle yourselves into a pair of the wing chairs – you sitting with your legs under you, and him with his chin resting tiredly in his palm. Apparently the energy he displayed in front of Beel has tired him out completely now. Making idle chatter you discuss your respective days; you discuss Asmo and his antics (leaving out the parts which would just plain embarrass you, naturally). Belphie goes over his day at RAD; how he had to have a quick shower in the locker room after sleeping in his lunch, where Beel found him sleeping on his feet. He then had to rush to his next class still damp with dripping hair, and fell asleep during an incredibly slow Seductive Speechcraft lesson where the Professor called on him to answer a question; luckily he was able to wing the answer, much to the disappointment of the teacher.

Laughing with him, you say “Perhaps I don’t help with your sleep after all”

“Oh you do” he says. “Dreamwalking takes so much energy, though”

You stare at him, processing what he means. “Oh… Belphie, are you telling me that you are actually _in_ those dreams I’ve been having? They aren’t something that my mind has been creating?”

“Ummmmm…. Yes?” He looks a bit… ashamed, as he blushes and avoids eye contact. “I hope you’re ok with it, I mean, I didn’t want to intrude the first time but you were about to go into a nightmare and that really would have disturbed my sleep, and then last night I just wanted to sit with you a bit longer, I really hope that’s ok? It’s not like I was trying to take over the dream completely or anything” The last sentence comes out in a rush, no pause for breath.

Before he can say anything else, you interject with “Can you actually do that?”

His eyes flick to meet yours, then look away before he says quietly “Yes. I don’t do it often, only when the need arises. Way too much effort, way too tiring. I… I just wanted… just a little longer that’s all”

“Silly, you can do that awake” you say with a grin. “You’re doing it now, right?”

“Yeah but I’m tired” he groans

“And who’s fault is that?”

“Yours, obviously…. You need to learn to be worse company”

Laughing at him, you say “Is that a challenge? You want me to work on that??”

He’s smirking at you “Well…”

Sadly, while it may have been interesting to find out where that line of thought would have taken the conversation, it's interrupted by a curt rap at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you there's some grammatical errors in this, because I've literally just completed it lol. If there's nothing posted tomorrow - I'm going to quickly apologise now - it looks like a busy couple of days ahead for me! I've outlined what I want to happen for the next chapter so hopefully I can get it done :)


	19. Research and Lectures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made to discuss ideas with Satan, and Lucifer checks in on you both.

There’s no pause to wait for a reply as Satan opens the door, brusquely entering with a utilitarian tray, two covered plates and a surly look. Placing it on the table between you, he states gruffly “Beel asked Lucifer for you to be fed. Lucifer in turn decided to interrupt my studying. Here’s your food. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to my reading”

As he turns to leave, Belphie stops him. “Wait…. Please. I’d like your opinion on something”

Satan turns and looks at Belphie, with a half-smile that does not reach his eyes and a raised eyebrow. It’s obvious he’s only _just_ holding his temper in check. “On what?”

Belphie looks at you, takes a deep breath in then turns to address Satan directly. “Well, it’s a safety issue with my Pillow over here” As he pauses, Satan’s eyes flick to you then back to Belphie, and he nods for him to continue. “I wish to ensure their safety. I would like to discuss how I can make this happen, what options there are available”

Satan considers him with his cool green eyes. “Why me, and not Lucifer?”

“Simple. Your Pride won’t get in the way of the facts. You’ll look at _all_ of the details, positive and negative. And when I do whatever I deem the best you won't try to talk me out of it, whereas Lucifer will try to ensure we do what he wants”

Satan quietly considers his younger sibling’s words, seemingly a little surprised at the frank answer. “Touché. And if I do this, you will not hold me responsible for any outcome?”

“Of course not. The outcome is on us” Belphie sends a half-smile at his brother.

“Then I shall help, but not tonight. I have an exam tomorrow, which I’m studying for tonight, but after this is all completed I’ll head to the Royal Library to research this for you”

“Perfect. I will message you later, briefly, with a couple of thoughts that I have had. We will meet with you tomorrow after my classes if that works for you?”

“We??” Satan is visibly thrown by this. “You’re _bringing_ your human??”

“I insisted” you say quietly. “I don’t know the options you’re currently considering, however it’s completely obvious that not all of it will be pleasant. You may not wish to tell me - but I want, no, _need_ to be informed”

Belphie interjects with “And I want my Pillow to agree to any terms and conditions, not have them forced on them”

Satan, visibly shocked by his brother’s last statement, considers this for a moment. “Hmm. I believe there’s a number of options… I will not consider some of which as the… as you put it, ‘Terms and Conditions’… are not entirely suitable for the purposes you wish to use it for. We will meet tomorrow, and I look forward to the message with your thoughts, Belphegor. Good evening”

With a genteel nod in the general direction of you both, he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Rounding on Belphie, you ask “So what are these thoughts you’re going to share with Satan? Care to fill me in?”

He looks at you seriously. “No. Not yet. Not until Satan has researched them. He may dismiss some as of no use, then you really won’t need to know about them”

You huff an annoyed “Fine” and look away from him. 

He just smiles, and starts removing the covers from the plates, placing them on the table before you both. Unlike Asmo’s effort, this is a plainer fare of Devildom staples, but it’s filling and you’re relieved to have finally eaten properly. There’s also two small serves of custard which rounds the meal off nicely.

While you are consuming your meal, Belphie does his best to lighten the mood by telling you about the time Satan brought home a cat, then two cats, and kept bringing strays in until there was a whole clowder of cats. His imitation of Lucifer’s less than thrilled reaction at this made you laugh out loud. You can understand why Lucifer looked at you oddly when you first met him now and why he has an aversion to pets.

As if summoned by his name – and hopefully not the impression of him – there is a curt knock at the door. Lucifer, like Satan, opens the door without pausing to wait for you to open it. Without greetings, he states “I see Satan did bring you a meal. I hope it was satisfactory?”

“It was” replies Belphie, curtly.

There’s an awkward pause. Belphie chooses not to speak to Lucifer, so the eldest turns his scarlet gaze on you. It feels a bit like your emotions are being x-rayed by the intimidating being before you.

“How are you faring?” he asks.

“I’m ok, all things considered” you reply.

His gaze hardens. “Why? Has your treatment been bad? Are you being threatened by Belphegor?”

“No, sir” you reply. “Belphie is treating me well. Your brothers have been kind, even if occasionally one of them is abrupt or rude sometimes - nothing that I would complain about. But please understand that this is a big adjustment – I mean, I was independent and now I’m… not”

“I see” is all Lucifer says. His face is unreadable.

“To be honest, the only thing even slightly worth complaining about is sleeping on the floor – it can make for a sore back in the morning! But that will be sorted shortly”

Lucifer addresses Belphie. “So you have replaced the bed, I take it?”

“Yes. It arrives tomorrow. The question is, are we permitted to use it or are we to stay in here longer?”

Lucifer sighs. “You may leave tonight, if you wish. May I suggest you try sleeping in the attic? It may make for a bit more comfort, and a better night’s rest for you both. I heard you fell asleep in your lunch today, Belphegor. We must not have you doing this again”

Belphie looks pleased. “That will be much better, Lucifer. I’m sure we will sleep well there... Yes, I think we may move there shortly – but first, I will show my human where the kitchen is. We unfortunately hadn’t had time for a tour”

Lucifer looks decidedly displeased. “That is _not_ looking after your human, Belphegor. I expect better of you.”

In a vain attempt to change the subject and take the heat off Belphie, you ask “Is Mammon being allowed out of his room too? I hope he didn’t get punished too badly”

“Yes, he is fine. I have chosen not to punish Belphie or Mammon further” he gives Belphie a very direct look. “This time”

“I’m sorry for causing the drama” you say to him

Lucifer gives a deep sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose “I’m not sure why you are apologising, you didn’t do this. There is always drama here, in the House of Lamentation. As you appear to be our permanent guest, I’m sure you will get used to it.” He straightens and places his hands behind his back. “Very well. Tomorrow I expect you both to dine in the dining room with us, no excuses will be accepted. I shall take my leave for the evening and see you both at breakfast.”

With this, he strides out of the room – leaving the door open. You smile at Belphie. “The Attic, huh?”

He grins at you. “Yes, the Attic. We will be cosy tonight, Pillow!”

Laughing, you say “My back will be thankful if it’s more comfortable!!”

“It will be. Let’s go settle in there for the night!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late posting today, but I made it! Another interesting day in, and I'm just spending _too much_ time overthinking it lol. Oh well. Only time'll tell whether good things will come of it, or neutral. Or bad I suppose. I know, very cryptic, but hey... I'm not _quite_ done overthinking yet... :P
> 
> I'm so glad that this little fic is making other people happy. Keep safe guys <3


	20. The Covenant in the Kitchen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're finally aware of where the kitchen is. And learn that there's rules to entering dreams...

The enthusiasm of your demon is hard not to catch, as he takes your wrist in his hand and pulls you out of the planetarium, almost literally dragging you along the hallways. After charging along for some time, he pulls short at the bottom of a set of dingy stairs.

“Oh” he says and looks a briefly guilty. “I told Lucifer I’d show you where the kitchen was, didn’t I…”

“Um. Yeah, you did. Does this mean we have to go back?”

Groaning, Belphie says “Yeeeesssss. Oh my Diavolo, can you imagine Lucy if we don’t? He’d have kittens…”

You laugh lightly and say “And we know how he feels about having cats around the house…. Well then, sooner we get there the sooner we can go up, right? Maybe we can nab something to take up to the attic with us, too!”

Belphie sighs. “True. Let’s hurry, I just want to snuggle up for the evening”

Backtracking, you head back down another hallway, a flight of stairs and another hallway. You wonder what on earth this place must look like on the outside, with it being so enormous. Finally, you are led into a warm kitchen with a stonework floor and a large wood-brick oven. Soft light dances gently in the bottom of the stove, and the room is very warm – so much so, that it’s obvious that the flames from cooking the meal must have died down quite a lot since mealtime. The space is clean and inviting, with well-washed benchtops and copper pots shining on the walls. The refrigerator is…

Open. With the added fixture of one large demon’s butt sticking out of it.

“Beel” groans Belphie. “You’ll get yourself in trouble again if you keep raiding the fridge this early!”

Beelzebub backs out of the fridge – _How deep is that thing?_ you wonder to yourself – and looks sheepishly at Belphie. “I know. I’m so _hungry_ after training. I was sure I left two custards in here but I can’t find them anywhere”

The only indication that Belphie is aware of what happened to the custard is a slight widening of his eyes; you look away, so as not to inadvertently give the game away. “Why don’t you order in from Hell’s Kitchen? We’ll keep you company for a little while now that Lucifer has given us the all clear to leave the planetarium, if you like”

“That’s a good idea!” Beel enthusiastically opens his phone and starts dialling a number. “Want anything?”

“Hmmm. I think we could definitely go for some Devil-Fried Bat Wings. And a serve of Tearsalt and Hellpepper Scorpions.”

“That’s all?” Beel says, pressing the call button and raising the phone to his ear.

“Yes. We have eaten. Thanks for sorting that, Satan brought it up to us”

Beel smiles at him and starts to rattle of a huge order to someone on the other end of the line - enough to feed a small army. Belphie sits at the heavy wooden table while he waits, laying his head on top of one of his arms. You lift yourself up with your arms to sit on the table next to his head, wondering if Beel is likely to run out of breath or money first; though he does eventually end the call, you never find out which it is.

Considering his brother, Beel questions “How can you be still tired, Belphie? You slept through your last class!”

“I’m exhausted. Should sleep ok tonight, we’re off to the attic”

“Yeah, I guess it would be more comfortable than the floor. But you can sleep anywhere, I haven’t seen you _this_ tired in a while, not since...” A pause, as he considers. “You haven’t been dreamwalking have you?”

“Mmm…maybe?” He turns his head so one bright eye is looking back at his twin.

“Belphie! Why?? You know how much it takes out of you, seriously!”

“There were some people who needed a… visit” Laying his head back on his arm, he drapes the other lazily over your legs.

“Oh. I’m _people_ now am I? When exactly did I become multiple?”

A muffled snort escapes from under the arm. “You’ve always been more than most humans. But, you may or may not be the only person who’s dreams I visited last night”

Beel looks sharply at his twin. “You visited _them_ didn’t you? I thought you’d decided not to, do you think that was a good idea?”

“Yeah. It was” is the muffled reply, and a devilish chuckle makes it’s way out from the arm. Lifting his head and standing, he grins at Beel. “They’re going to get what they deserve. Actually, they’re getting better than they probably deserve. Good thing I like my pillow” he squeezes you, pulling you gently against him.

“What on earth are you talking about?” you ask him.

“Oh… it’s just the group who decided to… _gift_ you to me. I’ve given them what they wanted. Sort of. They may have had a little loophole or two in their rites which I may or may not have… _exploited_ … but hey, in dealings with a demon you have to expect us to find the wriggle room in the terms” his eyes glint at you as he grins.

“Who were they anyway? And what did they even want? All they told me was I was to be the… um. ‘Honoured’ was the word they used. Honoured sacrifice for a powerful demon…” They had been less than forthcoming, and things got very hazy very quickly after they drugged you. 

“Scientists” Belphie says, and yawns. “They were after a scientific breakthrough or invention, they left that pretty open. Something that would make their name in their field. Well. They have it” he grins “Not _how_ to actually make it happen, it’s unfortunate that I left that out, but they all got to see what they might have if _only_ they had been more _careful_ of their wording…”

“Belphie” groans Beel. “You know that’s only going to make them act to get the rest of it. What will Lucifer think of more humans running around???”

“Nothing to worry about, Beel, they won’t. I visited one of them after giving the ‘what’ and… they are aware they can have the missing information. _If_ they decide to follow my instructions. No further human gifts necessary, it’s clear what I’ll accept” Smiling tiredly at you, he adds “I wouldn’t have ever wanted a human sacrifice, live or otherwise, but the one I’ve got is the only one I want”

You give him a cheeky grin. “Don’t you forget it. Tell me, why would they be sacrificing to the Sloth Demon if they wanted something like that? Is it for sleeping??”

“Nope. They are in string theory. I’m not just about sleep you know… Want an ingenious invention or a new discovery? I’m your guy. I may have some dealings with fertility, orgies, and licentiousness as well, but that’s not so well remembered these days” he grins at you wickedly “Asmo was quite put out by that”

“I’ll bet” you snort a laugh.

“Anyway. I have another dealing with them tomorrow. Tonight, I’ll make sure to sleep well”

“So…. No uninvited visitors slipping in my dreams tonight then, huh?”

Beel looks shocked at this, and it’s obvious he didn’t pick up on your first comment about your dream visitor. “Belphie? _Why_ would risk doing that?”

For a moment he looks guilty, but it quickly turns into a look of defiance. “I just wanted to spend a little more time together. It was _not_ overly strenuous”

“But you weren’t summoned….?”

“…no…”

“You know the rules about this sort of thing! If Lucifer finds out….”

“But he won’t, will he….” He looks at his twin. It strikes you how so unlike in features they are, it’s like a reflection of opposites - night versus day, dark versus light. “Well no, not from me” breathes Beel finally. “But you know as well as I do how he often finds out things on his own”

“What rules” you interject.

“I’m supposed to be invited” Belphie won’t look at you, a light shade of pink dusting his cheeks and a slightly guilty look on his face “Without permission, I can watch or I can alter dreams so long as I stay on the outside of them. Entering a dream requires a form of permission – whether it be verbal, written or implied by some sort of rite.”

“Hmmm” you say to him. After a little thought, you say “Ok. Well, it’s not like there’s any harm done. You did just sit with me, and you did drag me away from a nightmare, or so you said. As you’ve done it already, you will probably keep doing it, permission be damned, right?” He looks sheepish. Tilting your head on your side, you consider him. “If it can be worded watertight so that there will be no manipulation to my own thoughts or harm caused to me by you in any way at all while you’re in my dream, I might – _might –_ give you permission to come and go as you please….”

“I’d like that” he says, with such a genuine smile it lights his face. He purses his lips in thought for a moment. “I, Belphegor, Demon Prince of Hell, hereby swear that in exchange for entering your dreams for the explicit purpose of spending time in your company and ensuring pleasant dreams, I will not harm you, alter your thoughts or force them into a direction you do not wish for them to take, manipulate your mind or cause any injury to you whatsoever. This I swear on my infernal blood, in a covenant with you.”

Beel gasps, and the shock on his face seems completely sincere. “Belphegor! I can’t… _believe_ you are willing to do that… I can’t see a _loophole_. That’s not like you!”

Belphie looks at him. “I know, but I did break the rules. But it suits my purposes, so it’s quite a small price to pay.” He looks at you. “If you’re willing”.

All the while you’ve been running the words through your head, desperately trying to find the way this could seriously backfiring on you. He may be your demon, but he’s still a demon when all is said and done. “Um. I think…. Yes, I think so”

“Don’t look so worried” he grins. “If you find any problems later, a covenant is easily changed or broken on your side if you follow my wording. It’s not as binding as a pact”

“So that means you can break it whenever too…”

“No. I swore on my blood, it’s binding for me. You won’t have to bind yourself” he pauses. “I did the wrong thing, so allow this to be my apology. I want you to feel like you have me at your back”

He’s looking at you with an intensity that makes you blush, and you can’t pull your eyes away from him. The charged atmosphere is broken by Beel clearing his throat, looking embarressed. “Guys. I will be back in a moment. Food should be here shortly. Gonna wait at the door” Finally, you manage to break the eye contact, glancing at Beel's retreating back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I was going to the attic with this when I started writing this last night. I have the darned image open for inspiration... but we ended in the kitchen, and I also didn't envisage the dreams being addressed lmao!!! My mind works in mysterious ways.
> 
> I'm tired and in pain today, just doing the usual round of "let's pretend you're body is normal" and trying to ignore it. It's mostly working. Thankfully it's a lower range flare - I mean, I can eat and talk without pain so, that's always a plus! *grin*
> 
> Just a quick edit - my thoughts on Dream Walking are very much tainted by the Wheel of Time Series. I imagine it would be a dangerous act for a mortal to be caught in a dream, but Belphie and his immortal demon status would be easily able to slip through the cracks of the psyche and mould the unconscious thoughts of a dreamer without fear of entrapment


	21. Cocoa and Brief Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the box... Mostly kitchen fluff, and a short apology. Very short.

“So?” Belphie breathes the single word quietly.

“So.” You repeat and release the breath you hadn’t realised you’d been holding. “Ok. Let’s do this. What do I need to do?”

He turns to you, a radiant smile gracing his face as his eyes sparkle at you. “You won’t regret this, I promise. Just repeat these words…. I hereby accept the covenant proposed by Belphegor, and bind his promises to me”

“That’s…. that’s all?”

“That’s all” he says, taking both of your hands gently in his. You repeat the phrase, and a soft, purplish light surrounds your hands where they touch, dissipating quickly. Your hands feel warm. “It’s done” Belphie proclaims.

“OK. Tell me. Why did Beel look so embarrassed just then?”

Belphie blushes, and glances down at your hands, which he’s still holding in his own. “Um. I guess… I guess he thought this was a personal matter? Between you and I. Things like this are not normally done in front of people, unless it’s a group covenant or pact.”

“Oh. I didn’t realise. Didn’t really see the harm in him seeing it either, to be honest. Good to know”

“I’m glad he stepped out” The intense look is back in his eyes, and he is looking deep into yours, searching for something. “I’d prefer was just between us and I’m glad to keep it that way. I want you to be comfortable around me” he looks down at your hands again, gently twisting the ring on your finger – his ring. “Anyone who wears my sigil should feel comfortable with me.”

“Your sigil?”

“Yes” he looks at you with a half-smile. “You wear it at your neck and on your finger. It marks you as mine. And it should be protection enough, but there are demons that will try their luck anyway. It’s dangerous down here for a human. But I will do _anything and everything_ in my power to keep you safe” Dropping your hands, he looks a little flustered, looking everywhere – anywhere – but at you. “I hope the food delivery doesn’t take too much longer, I’m so tired…”

“I’m assuming what you ordered was safe for me too, yes?”

“Of course! And I think you will handle the spices just fine, it’s no hotter than what I attempted to trick you with” his grin returns as he sits, chin in his hands. His eyes do look tired – you wonder how much power it must take to do this dream walking thing if he looks like he has not slept for a week.

“You do look so tired, Belphie. Can I get you anything? Cocoa, or tea?”

The sweet, surprised smile he gives you makes your breath catch, and he asks quietly. “You’d do that for me? I love sweet drinks. Let me show you where the cocoa is”

As your owner starts showing you where the cocoa, sugar and milk are kept, you find a large pan – the decision was made to make some for Beel too, somewhere in amongst the rummaging for ingredients. Together you mix and heat the ingredients over the stove; it is surprisingly comfortable as you work together and around each other easily. You quietly think it is odd how someone who you’ve known for a couple of days is so easy to work with in a team. Pouring the hot drinks into two large mugs and one massive, saucepan-sized mug, Belphie takes his, sitting back in the chair and sighs. “Mm. It’s good. Thank you. We work well together, Pillow.”

You smile at him over the top of your cup. “Just don’t go to sleep on me down here drinking that. I doubt I can drag you to the attic!”

He laughs lightly at you. “I’ll try not to. If I do, just get Beel to carry me up. Though you’ll have to wait for him to eat first”

Falling into a companionable silence, you drink your cocoa while waiting for Beel. It’s obvious Belphie is trying hard not to fall asleep, his head occasionally nodding. Thankfully, it’s not too much longer to wait, and Beelzebub cheerfully walks through the door, Little D’s trailing behind him carrying a massive amount of food. Beel is throwing handfuls of something crispy in his mouth. “This was such a good idea Belphie…. Belphie? You awake?”

“Mmm. Just” sighs Belphie. “We made cocoa. Yours is over there. I think we should grab our snacks and go before I fall asleep here”

Beel hums in acknowledgement, then shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other. “Um. Did… did you do it?”

“Whaaaaat?” Belphie yawns

“The covenant… did you?”

“Yes” you smile at Beel. “I really wouldn’t have minded you staying, you know”

He blushes beet red. “N-no. I-I… y-you…” he puts a handful of snacks into his mouth, and then having had the time to calm himself a little, answers. “That is a private thing. I’m not supposed to be there for that”

“Oh-kay… I don’t understand, but ok. We’ll leave you to eat in peace, and I’ll get this sleepy demon to bed before he collapses on the floor”

Belphie’s head is on his chest now, and he answers “Immaaaaalright”, yawning whilst attempting to speak. He doesn’t make to move, or open his eyes though, so you walk over to him and ruffle his hair. “C’mon sleepyhead. We gotta get you settled into the attic.”

Opening one eye he sighs “I know” then rubs the heel of his palms over his eyes. “Ugh. Where’s the snacks?” A little red butterball demon runs over with the bag which you take gently from it, and it chatters at you cheerfully before running off.

“Got them. Now come on. Let’s get you to bed”

Wishing Beel a good night – he nods at you both but is too distracted by the food being placed all over the table before him to speak - you both head out of the kitchen. The energy that Belphie showed when dragging you out of the Planetarium is gone, replaced by a very tired man who holds your hand with the fingers intertwined, walking the hallways at a pace that’s easy to match. You squeeze his hand in an effort to keep him awake, and he gives you a lopsided smile, squeezing back “Not much further” he says

Walking the hallway where the bedrooms are located, you’re both nearly knocked to the floor by a tanned streak of white-haired demon leaving his room. “Oy! Watch where ya walkin’… oh” Mammon stops speaking abruptly, looking awkwardly at you both.

“Mammon! I’m glad you’re allowed out too. I wanted to ask if you were ok at breakfast, but not in front of everyone”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m allowed out. An’ of course I’m fine. I’m not a weak human ya know, I’m one of the toughest demons in the Devildom!” He puffs his chest out just a little, looking sideways at Belphie to see if he’ll correct him

Of course, Belphie – with _that_ grin plastered all over his face – _has_ to say something because he’s a brat. “Of course he’s fine. He’s the biggest masochist I know” At least he’s looking a little more awake.

“Hey!!!” Mammon exclaims. “I ain’t the _biggest_ one!”

“But you didn’t deny that you are one!” Mammon just starts blustering, however Belphie interrupts. “Um… I shouldn’t have thrown you through the bed. I- I’m” he pauses before he spits the word out like it’s bitter on his tongue “sorry”

Mammon looks at him with a start, shocked. “Are you feeling sick little bro? Did you just say _sorry_?”

“Don’t get used to it” growls Belphie. “You’re still an idiot”

“Now, now. Don’t be mean” you say to Belphie. “He has other endearing qualities” and without thinking – because apparently, today you are an idiot with a death wish, you throw your arms around Mammon’s neck and give him a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re ok”

The whole exchange lasts a few seconds and the hug is literally momentary, yet it leaves Mammon blushing and spluttering. “H-hey, why’d ya gotta do that for? Gimme some warning before you do something like that!!”

Belphie, however, is glaring daggers at both of you. You really don’t want to see him take anything out on Mammon when it was _kind_ _of_ your doing, so you grab his wrist and tug him away and up the hall, calling over your shoulder “See you later Mammon!”

When you finally reach the end of the hall, you’re damned – fitting, considering are in hell, and possibly more so with the sulky demon at your side – if you know which way to go next. “You’re going to have to lead, I have no idea where from here”

The only response is a sidelong glance as you are pulled once again by Belphegor through the house. He doesn’t pause at the bottom of the dingy stairs to the attic this time, just pulls you along like a tug-toy after him into the attic, closing the door firmly behind you both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Mammon for our favourite greedy demon's birthday. And again, no Mammon's were hurt in the production of this chapter... though I can't vouch for the Protagonist in the next one, as I've not written it lol. 
> 
> I've darned well seen some grammar errors in previous chapters which I need to go back and fix sometime in the near future. It's bugging me. Not today, though, Satan.
> 
> Raise your hand if you tripped over a vacuum cleaner today, hitting yourself under your eye on the top of the driver side door of your car and possibly giving yourself mild concussion 🙋♀️... just me then? Moving right along.
> 
> (Yes I AM a klutz lmao)


	22. Grinding Axes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belphie is not amused, and very jealous.
> 
> Trigger Warning - Belphie is a little aggressive. Protagonist has prior experience with domestic violence and his behaviour triggers them.

With the door now closed behind you, Belphie rounds on you. “What was that about?? _Why_ did you have to hug him??”

“What?? Honestly, it was only a friendly gesture – I think of him as a friend! He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he means well.”

Belphie growls at you. “You may think that, but his sin is _Greed_. He won’t stop until you’re _his_. Is that what you want? To be his??”

Your eyes widen at his obvious anger and jealousy. “ _No_! What on _earth_ would even make you think that?”

He turns his back on you, frame trembling in fury, caught in the web of his anger. “They all like you. You’re supposed to be _mine._ But there they are, all fighting over who gets to spend time with you at the table. How long until they all start clamouring to take up every minute of your day? How long until I have to book appointments with _my_ human??” There’s an ominous feel to the air, a dark aura around him and his horns come into view, then fade, then appear and fade once more. He’s obviously struggling very hard to contain himself, just enough in control to keep from changing fully.

“Belphie. Please look at me.” He turns slowly, and his glowing eyes bore into yours, anger piercing your soul. “You’re frightening me. I don’t understand what makes you think I’d want to go off with _any_ of them!”

He closes his eyes. “Because” he growls. “You’re friendly with them, _nice_ to them. Beel wants you to go see him playing Fangol. _Beel_! Even Satan wants to spend time with you. _Lucifer_ is checking on your wellbeing!! They will _need_ more and more of you. We are demons. All of them will be tempted to make you theirs…”

You attempt to interrupt “Belphie” but he will have none of it. “No!!! I have watched how they act over millennia! I _know_ what they are like! They’ll just take _more and more_ and I will be standing on the edge watching as they take you away from me! _I won’t let them do that_!!” he closes his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Belphie… stop! Listen to me, dammit!!!” His eyes snap open, boring into your soul and sending a cold shiver down your spine. “Belphegor, you need to calm down. Let me pose a different question. What makes you think _I’d_ want _them_? Seriously? Did you ever stop to think about what I think, or _feel_ about them?”

“They’re pretty skilled at making a good impression” he growls. “And they have good points, unmissable ones. Lucifer is dependable. Satan is intelligent. Beel is the kindest demon I know. Levi is passionate. Asmo is so caring. And Mammon is protective”

You snort. “Fine. You know, they may have those good points. But Lucifer has a stick up his ass, Satan looks like he is pissed off more often than not, Beel’s stomach cause him to devour me! From my short exposure to Levi he can be downright abrasive. Asmo is an incorrigible flirt who can’t keep it in his pants! And Mammon’s ego is as massive as his debts!”

He looks at you and barks a laugh, taken aback by your frankness. “And me?”

“You? You’ve shown me that you are a sleepy, stupidly possessive, jealous, oblivious smart ass – but you’ve also shown me I can depend on you, you’re intelligent, kind, passionate, caring and protective!” You take a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t know what else I can say to convince you. Have you not listened when I said I will not go places without you, or tried to include you in whatever they’re trying to rope me into? Holy crap on a cracker, Belphegor. I shouldn’t, but I actually _like_ you and your company. I want to be around you…… while you allow it.”

Silence. He stares at you expressionlessly, standing stone still and searching your face and eyes for something; only he knows what it is. “You actually do mean all of that, don’t you.” 

You laugh, just a touch of hysteria entering the tone. “Belphie. _Of course_ I mean it!”

“Huh” He mulls this over for a moment; his anger has dissipated a little however there’s still an edge to his tone when he asks. “What do you mean, while I _allow_ it?”

You blanch. “Err. Well. How do I know you won’t tire of having a pet… and decide to… well, you know…”

“Decide to what?” He walks closer to you, looming over your frame, and you take an involuntary step back. You hadn’t realised how tall he was, now that he’s not slouching he towers over you.

“Oh… I-I don’t know. What do demons do to humans normally? Would you sell me off to the highest bidder? Eat me? Rip my soul out of my body” you shrug “I haven’t had experience with demons, so only you can answer that”

“You really think that of _me_? That I’ll get sick of you? Do you think you’re just a fad for me?”

“Well….”

“That I’d mark you with my sigil and promise you my protection then just… throw you away?”

“…maybe. I don’t know!!”

He grabs your shoulders hard, staring hard into your eyes and you stiffen at his touch. The memories of the last time someone grabbed you in the same manner race through your mind. “Hear me well. You are _mine_. I’m not about to let anyone or anything take you away. You’re not some fad, and you’re not something to be thrown away _._ ” He reaches to touch your face and you flinch away from his touch. He balks. “Are you really that frightened of me?”

“Right now, y-yes...” the sentence stutters to a stop. You want to tell him you’re sorry, that you didn’t mean to upset him, that you’ll try to be better…. all the words you’ve been conditioned to say in another lifetime with another person, but you can’t seem to create them or enough air to force it past your lips.

All the while he is studying your face, your eyes, your posture. The demon’s predatory nature knows you feel like a deer in the spotlight of his ire, you can see it reflected back at you from his glowing eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you. It’s taken all my willpower to keep from losing control completely, but the thought of hurting you… that’s what’s kept me from shifting into my… other form” The anger is slipping into sorrow, and the hurt look he’s now giving you is somehow worse than the previous anger.

“Oh” you breathe, almost too quiet for hearing, at a loss for words.

He lets go of you and walks past where you are standing, leaving you staring at the door. The sudden movement leaves you stranded in your thoughts, and you’re not entirely sure if you should move, or stand as you are – what the safest option of the two will be.

“I’m sorry” you hear. It’s nearly a whisper. You turn _just_ enough to be able to see Belphie; he’s sitting on the edge of a bed, plush red covers over white, plush covers and mounds of pillows. The bed reminds you of him, especially the cow-print pillow on top of the mound of pillows, it’s little tail with a tuft on the end reminding you very much of his.

“I… what? Why?” You force out the words figuring you know the answer, but if you’re wrong then at the least he will clarify.

Slumped over, looking at his hands on the bed he speaks quietly. “I want you to feel safe and protected, I want you to feel like you can be yourself around me. Then I frighten you so badly you…” he stops talking, takes a deep breath and looks at you. “I’m sorry”

“So am I” you murmur.

“I feel like I’ve just undone everything that I was trying to do by making our covenant” he looks at you. “I hate that I made you look at me like that. Please, don’t be frightened of me.”

His anger has finally passed, burnt away almost as fast as it came. As the tension drains out of your body you feel your muscles turning to jelly, and your legs wobble a bit. Unable to see a chair, you opt to cross the room and sit near him on the bed. Not too near though, not yet.

“I’ll try…. That was pretty intense, Belphie”

He groans. “I know. Lucifer might be right about me learning to control myself. But if I can’t…” he pauses, reaching his hand out halfway between you both, eyes on his extended hand. “I need to message Satan. I’m going to tell him what just happened, it may help his research and I’m sure he’ll help us with this issue too. He’ll keep it quiet if only to annoy Lucifer” he chuckles quietly, and his eyes raise from his hand to yours. “I hope you can forgive me. If you mean what you said… that you want to be around me… I will have to learn to be more understanding.”

When it becomes obvious you will not be taking his hand, he looks a little disappointed – and maybe hurt, but you could be reading him completely wrong – and he withdraws it, sighing and standing. “I’m tired. You should settle in, I’ll sleep on the floor”

“Don’t be silly” you say. “You need your rest - you’ve been sleepwalking most of this afternoon!”

He gives you a lopsided, tired smile. “Be that as it may, I’m not letting you sleep on the floor”

Inwardly groaning, you realise this is your punishment for not taking his hand – not showing that you want to try to trust him. “Belphegor. Just get in the bed. I have no intention of sleeping on the floor, or letting you either”

He looks surprised, then a small smile plays across his features. “….are you sure? After all this?”

“I am positive” As you prepare to slip into the sinfully soft covers, you realise you are still dressed in the clothes from the day and have nothing to change into. After the day you have had though, you don’t really care – with Asmo’s incessant cheerful chatter, Levi’s abruptness and the very proper conversations with Lucifer and Satan, not to mention the exhaustion that follows after a rush of adrenaline from Belphie’s jealousy - you’re completely wiped out for the day.

“Wait” he says, rummaging in a dark wooden chest. He pulls out an oversized V-neck t-shirt, teal green with a black neckline and holds it out for you. “There’s a small bathroom at the back. You can change into this there, if you want”

“Thank you” you say quietly, taking the garment gratefully and making your way to the small room. The door closes silently, and you lean against it, resting your head against the door; grateful for a moment to collect yourself and your thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author: Skips gleefully to the attic, looking for fluff.
> 
> Story: No fluff here, lady. Hang on to the side rails for some angst and trigger warnings.
> 
> Author: Oh seriously? You're rounding my week out with THIS?? *re-reads multiple times and has a mild anxiety attack*  
> ____________
> 
> Domestic Violence and Emotional Abuse is NEVER something I'll condone. It's also not simple to just up and leave, regardless of what people think. If you're in the middle of this, you are not "stupid" or any other.... insulting word, (I can't think of all of 'em right now) for not leaving. It's darned hard. Don't be hard on yourself, but you can do it. Trust me - I know all too well xx
> 
> ... and if I don't get fluff next chapter I'm going to be seriously pissed off O_O


	23. Reverberation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The consequences of the last chapter.
> 
> Some spoilers (see beginning note)
> 
> Trigger warning for some mild Domestic Violence/Emotional Abuse - in that the protagonist is dealing with things, and Belphie is acting a little bit like a post-DV instigator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very small spoiler at the end of the chapter. I'll try to put in a link that will jump you to the end, if you want to skip it I mean it's only end notes anyhow, but I'm very curious to see if it can be done. Looks like it has to be posted then edited, so gimme 5.
> 
> All that you're missing is Belphie being sleepy and cuddly, and the Protagonist going to sleep.

Changing out of the clothes from the day, you throw on the clean oversized teal t-shirt that Belphie provided. The material is soft and smells a little like his cologne; you figure he must keep some in there. Once changed, you search in vain for something to take off the layers of makeup that Asmo had painted your face with but the search is fruitless. In the end, you opt for giving your face a good wash with soap and water – all the while hearing Asmo’s voice in your head… “Darling you _didn’t_ use that on your skin! It’s going to be so dry!” - you manage a half smile as you rinse off the soap. The lukewarm water feels refreshing against your face. Finding a brush on the white marble top of the deep walnut vanity unit, you run it through your hair, brushing out the multiple products that Asmo had insisted on putting into it, and untangling snarls.

You don’t want to walk out of the safety of the small, mushroom brown room. Stalling for time, you decide to check your DDD. There’s a multitude of messages in the group chat which you decide to avoid, however a private chat catches your eye – it’s from Mammon, and it seems he’s been sending messages since you parted ways in the hall.

{Mammoney Hey human}

{Mammoney Human}

{Mammoney Human!!}

{Mammoney Human, answer me!}

{Mammoney Ya don’t gotta be ignorin’ me. I’m a busy demon, ya know}

{Mammoney Human, are you ok?}

{Mammoney Answer me!}

As you’re reading through this, another comes in.

{Mammoney Human, answer _now_ or I’m gonna have to be comin’ back to the house ta check on ya.}

{PillO Hey Mammon. I’m ok}

{Mammoney Bout time you answered me, I was startin’ ta worry}

{Mammoney I mean, it’s not like it matters if somethin’ happens to ya, but Lucy would be pissed}

{Mammoney And I’m not scared of Lucy neither!}

{Mammoney Or Belphie. I’m stronger than him!}

{Mammoney He’s pretty mad right now isn’t he?}

{Mammoney I mean, you’re just a frail human and he could rip ya to shreds}

{PillO Mammon, it’s ok. He’s calmed down now.}

{Mammoney Well if ya need anythin’, just holler.}

{Mammoney Just don’t go huggin’ me in front of him, he’ll get mad again}

{Mammoney I-I mean, it’s not like I liked it either…}

You grin at his messages. He really is too transparent for his own good.

{PillO I promise, if I need something I’ll be in contact with you straight away.}

{PillO Thank you for checking on me, you’re a sweetheart.}

{PillO Have fun now you’re allowed out! See you at breakfast!}

{Mammoney O-oh right. Yeah. Places ta be, money ta make!}

{Mammoney Catch ya later, puny human!}

As you finish up your little chat with Mammon, another message comes through.

{stn Belphegor has just messaged me}

{stn I know you’re in the bathroom, so I’m just checking in}

{stn Let me know you’re alright please.}

{PillO Yeah. I’m ok. He did frighten me but he’s calmer now}

{stn He really needs to reign in his jealousy}

{stn But he’s trying to do the right thing, and he has sent me a couple of thoughts}

{stn I’ve got some solutions in mind for you both too.}

{stn If you need anything, message me. I’ll come up.}

{PillO Thank you, Satan. You’re kinda sweet, for the epitome of Wrath}

{PillO I’ll be ok now, I think. Best go out before he comes looking for me}

{stn Take care. Speak with you tomorrow}

You look at yourself in the mirror, take a deep breath and steel yourself. When you open the door to the main room, you find Belphie on the bed, DDD in hand. He glances at you and gives you a small smile.

“Hey, you. Just finishing messaging Satan about tomorrow.”

You just give him a small smile as an answer as you make your way towards the bed you’ll be sharing with him. As you reach your side, you pause, steeling yourself to get under the bed linen. He’s watching you, and seeing this his smile slips momentarily. Slipping under the covers, you lay on your back and stare at the ceiling; the whole room is painted in mushroom brown, matching the bathroom, white painted constellations adorning the roof above and wrought-iron ceiling lamps throwing soft light on the stars and moons hanging from the ceiling. You focus your vision on the moon hanging from the beam directly above your head.

Propping himself on his elbow to look at you, Belphie says “I told him how I just acted. We can fix this. He has plenty of ideas…” he chuckles, but it’s a bit forced “some are not suitable for you at all, so I told him no. But he’s intrigued, and when he’s intrigued he’ll be interested in the research, so he’ll find us a solution”

“Ok” You don’t look at him, and you definitely don’t mention the messages from Satan, or Mammon. You value your life and peace too much. He lays there, studying you and your reaction – or lack thereof.

After a lengthy pause, he sighs. “Um. I don’t deserve it, and it’s ok if you say no after today. But….”

When he doesn’t continue, you glance sideways at him and return your eyes upwards almost immediately. “What is it?”

“I… um. C-can you… can I have a hug?”

Softly, you say “Ok”. Right now, it’s easy to be the ‘good girl’. It will be better on you anyway, if you behave ‘correctly’ you think to yourself. You scoot closer to him, and he opens his arms, pulling you against him gently.

“Mm.” he sighs “You give the best hugs. Better than Beel, even. Am I allowed to hold you while I sleep tonight?”

“Sure”

He _knows_. You can see it on his face, that he knows you’re just giving the rote answers, the right answer to everything. “I’m not going to force you. It’s fine if you say no. I’ll completely understand, no consequence I promise” As he says this, he moves his hand up, and holds the back of your neck gently to him, cheeks touching.

“No, it’s ok” you breathe. He pulls back, and this time when he reaches for your face you let him cup your cheek… so gently, it looks likes he’s frightened his touch may break you or make you flee. It’s hard to not thaw, not feel a little more comfortable. The fear dissipates a tiny bit and you smile at him. 

His smile in return is genuine, a touch of relief running through it. “I’ll make this up to you, I promise”

You’ve heard that all before. _Prove it_ your mind screams at him; your mouth says nothing and you just nod your head, breaking the eye contact.

Letting go, he turns to sort through the mound of pillows; the rejected ones are thrown haphazardly onto the floor, acceptable ones plumped up. Satisfied, he settles back and opens his arms to you. “C’mere. I’m so tired, and you keep me warm”

“You don’t want to sleep on me?” you ask.

“No, like I said, I want to hold _you_. Besides, if you change your mind, you can get away easier” he looks away, guilt written freely across his face.

You take the offered position, head on his sternum and one arm thrown over his torso. He wraps an arm around you, his other hand carding your hair. “I’m glad you’re letting me hold you. Your hair smells nice…”

“I don’t know _what_ is in it. Asmo insisted on using a lot of stuff today”

He snorts. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. The amount of stuff he has, it’s a wonder it fits in his cupboards”

You chuckle quietly. “He had a small avalanche in his bathroom when he looked for something… so no, it doesn’t I guess”

Small Spoiler – click *[here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26022829/chapters/64355677#chapter_23_endnotes)* to skip to end note 😊

* * *

Laughing quietly in return, he sighs contentedly. “Mmm. I don’t know how I’ve slept without you all these millennia, my Pillow. Wish you’d been here when Lucifer locked me up here”

“Beel mentioned you’d been locked away. So this was your prison?” You lift your head to look at him.

“Yeah. I…. I was angry. I was a misguided fool all things considered, but I didn’t know all of the facts. Lucifer was trying to protect me in his own way. Treason is _not_ something the Devildom comes down lightly on… So I was locked up here.” He sighs again, voice sleepy. “For so long I wished things had played out differently; Lilith’s death, Lucifer’s secrets, the resentment, the aftermath of my being let out of here. But that’s the past. I’m looking forward to the future” saying this, he pulls you tighter against him, smiling sleepily.

“Well, at least the bed was comfortable”

“It was at that” With his eyes half lidded a small smile on his tired features, any residual fear you’re feeling slides away – this is the Belphie you have come to know and kind of like. You let your breath out slowly, relaxing and lay your head back on him. He makes a sleepy sound of approval and runs his hands through your hair again. “I’ll be glad to be back in our room tomorrow” he continues. “And we’ll have the new bed. You’ll love it, it’s one of the best mattresses on the market and…… soft…. sleep”

His voice lulls you, and your brain starts to lose track of what he’s saying. Everything that has happened during the day catches up with you. The slide into sleep is easy and peaceful, and this time it’s dreamless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little fluff, but still angst thanks to the last chapter. Well, at least from here it can be a bit easier LOL. 
> 
> Damn I'm tired. Took my sister for a MRI this morning at stupid o'clock and wrote most of this in the car on my Laptop while waiting. I may fiddle about with the next chapter later but in the meantime... Real Life calls. So does lunch :P


	24. Ante-Meridiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awkward kind of start to the day.

You drift into wakefulness, comfortable but a bit chilled, and wonder why your alarm hasn’t gone off yet. You open one eye a crack; soft light is streaming through the windows, looking like a grey stormy day – the kind best for staying in bed. _Maybe I can just stay home today. I won’t be missed_ you think muzzily, pulling the blanket tighter around yourself tightly and snuggling down.

“You’re awake”

… and the sound of his voice makes you remember where you are, memories crashing through your sleepy brain. Your sleep-blurred eyes open and find Belphie sitting on the end of the bed, watching you quietly. “Yes, Captain Obvious, I’m awake” you reply, yawning and stubbornly refusing to move or open your eyes.

“Mmmm. We should think about going down to breakfast. I’ve washed up, but need a clean RAD uniform, without creases. Want to wash up here or back in our room?” he asks, you can hear the smile in his voice.

“Ugh. Do I have to leave the bed at all today?”

“Well… I suppose not. But you will need food, and our takeout from last night can’t be any good for anyone but Beel with his cast iron stomach” you open your eyes and look at the sad little bags that are sitting on the top of the tall chest of drawers, having been left completely forgotten last night.

“I suppose” you grumble. Sitting up, you rub the sleep out of your eyes with the back of your hand. “I feel like I haven’t slept” you sigh.

“I’m not surprised. Your tossing woke me about an hour ago – but you had settled into a peaceful sleep by the time I came back from the bathroom.”

“… were you watching me sleep??”

He blushes. “Ummm. Well there was nothing else to do, and I didn’t want to wake you! You looked so peaceful. Of course, I knew I’d need to wake you soon so I’m glad you woke on your own”

“Mmmm. Well. If I _must_ get up and dress for the day, I guess I’d rather do it in our room, not up here. But I should throw on yesterday’s clothes, wouldn’t want to run into Asmo wearing this t-shirt of yours”

“Good point. Well then, come along sleepyhead – best get ready”

“Ugh. Who died and made you so energetic this morning?”

He laughs at you “I slept well. The attic was a good call. Now come on, or I’ll be forced to carry you”

“You wouldn’t!!!”

“Well, I guess you can stay in bed and see what happens… want to roll the dice and find out, Pillow?”

Groaning loudly, you sit up. “You’re evil”

He grins widely at your grumpiness. “Busted. I am a demon…” and laughs when you shoot him a filthy look. Grumbling, you make your way to the bathroom to take care of the call of nature and make yourself somewhat decent in your crumpled clothes prior to traversing the hallways.

Belphie smiles at you as you exit the small bathroom, standing from his spot on the end of the bed. He takes your hand gently in his own, lacing his fingers through yours leading you out the door and back to the room you share with his twin, rubbing his thumb along the back of your gently hand as he walks alongside you. The sweetly affectionate gesture brings a light blush to your face, and you’re glad when you enter the room to be able to hide it. The rather large presence of Belphie’s twin is absent this morning. Quickly, you grab something clean out of the wardrobe head into the bathroom to make yourself presentable for the day, working quickly so that you can both get moving on the offchance that Beel is already inhaling the whole breakfast table before you arrive.

On completion, you exit the twin’s roomy bathroom to find Belphie dressed and ready for his day; it’s good to see that all the buttons are done up on his jacket today, however this time his collar is not properly fixed. You click your tongue and walk over to him, running your fingers under the collar to make it sit properly. “Did you even look in the mirror this morning?”

Belphie blushes at your proximity, but grins. “I don’t need to anymore - not now that I have you to do the final check for me. But you can’t talk” he reaches out and wipes at a spot on your cheekbone. “You have toothpaste on your face”

Of course, Murphy’s Law being what it is, Beel chooses this _exact_ moment to walk in; your light blush from Belphie’s actions turns a deeper shade of scarlet, Belphie’s flush continues into his neckline and poor Beel just doesn’t know where to look. “Uhmmm… am I interrupting?”

Belphie cannot look at Beel. “No, not at all, just removing toothpaste”

“OK. Alright. I just got back from a run. Going to have to get ready now, have double Potions today followed by Celestial history and have to eat well before I go, what are your plans for the day?” Beel is almost babbling in his embarrassment.

Taking a deep breath, you answer “Well… Belphie is off to RAD of course. And I’m going to be looking out for the delivery of the new bed which we’ll probably need to assemble. Then there’s the meeting with Satan later today”

“Satan?” Beel looks at you quizzically. “Why is that?”

Belphie shoots you an undefinable look before you can answer, and you wonder if you shouldn’t have mentioned the meeting. “Well. I want to keep my little friend here safe. We’re going to be going over some options to help do this”

“What do you mean, safe? Has something happened?” Beel’s face is creased with concern.

It takes a moment for Belphie to answer, as he holds a carefully controlled look on his face like a mask. “Really, it’s just that they need someone at their back. And the Mammon incident, I don’t want them in the crossfire of that stuff if I can help it.” He pauses and looks at you sidelong before taking a deep breath. “And last night.”

Beel looks at him, expressionless. “You were angry last night, I felt it. Why?”

“Umm. I lost my temper….” Belphie trails off, looking embarrassed, and the flush is back on his face.

“At who? Why?”

“At… I… ugh…”

“It was at the human, wasn’t it… that’s why you don’t want to tell me, right? _Why_ did you lose your temper??” Beel is so quiet, and the intense look he gives his twin speaks volumes. You sense that Belphie is on thin ice but you can’t understand why.

“Beel”, you say quietly in an attempt to break the atmosphere a bit. “I... I hugged Mammon goodbye. I mean, it was just a friendly gesture but I suppose I shouldn’t have”

Beel just groans and sits on his bed, covering his face. “Why??” for a moment you think the question is aimed at you, but he looks at his twin. “ _Why_ would you lose your temper over that? You know they’re so much more _fragile_ than us.”

Looking entirely ashamed, Belphie quietly says “I know. I….” but Beel interrupts. “I know you’re jealous, because I can feel it, Belphie. You need to learn to keep it in check or this is not going to end well. I can even _feel_ your jealousy with me – you have to know I’d never do anything to hurt you! I love you, little brother. But yes, I like your human. Not just because they are good for you” he gives his brother a hard look “and there’s no need to be jealous of that, you know I can tell. But I will say it’s more like a sister than something to take away from you. And if you would open your eyes and stop being so possessive you would see that!”

Belphie looks aghast. “Beel, I….”

“No Belphie, I don’t want to hear it. You need to think about this hard. Forget me for a moment and think about what Lucifer said. You can have your pet, as long as it doesn’t cause problems. You need to keep your temper in check. What if you lose control in front of _him_? What if Mammon tells him?”

“I don’t think he will” Belphie comments, quietly. “He avoids him. For obvious reasons”

“Well what about Satan, I suppose you will need to tell him that now! Do you think that he won’t say something?”

“Satan? No! He already knows. He said he’ll keep quiet. And he will, you know he will… he likes to annoy Lucifer as much as possible”

Beel stands, and paces to the wall, then back to the bed. “I want to come to the meeting with Satan”

“No, Beel” says Belphie. “You have training again today. You can’t skip it at this point in the season, you know that! But we’ll discuss what happens with you, I promise”

After giving his brother a hard look, Beel finally nods at him, then turns to you. “Are you ok?”

“Yes. I’m ok” – you don’t add the “ish” to ok.

“If _anything_ ever happens and you need me, you have my contact details. Don’t _ever_ hesitate. I’ll do whatever I can to protect you.” he glances at Belphie. “ _BOTH_ of you. Now, I need to get ready” he stalks into the bathroom obviously still quite annoyed; you just stare at the door as it closes.

After a long moment which feels like an hour, Belphie clears his throat. “I think… I... um, come on, let’s go down to breakfast”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, at least I got a little fluff before some angst LOL. I think "someone" is on their best behaviour today, because I did sit at my screen giving the text the skunk eye for a bit. 
> 
> Author: Belphegor, if you don't behave, you will feel my wrath. I'll send Lucifer in.
> 
> Belphie: ...... O_O
> 
> Never underestimate the power of Lucifer on the brothers ROFL!
> 
> I'm planning on using the bath today. All the things hurt thanks to a weather change (oh Yay!!). I'm not sure I can write on my phone... we shall see. Just two points to bring up -  
> 1\. Yes, I have dropped my phone in the bath before. I killed one of them that way. There's a reason this one is water resistant...  
> 2\. Anyone who mentions to Asmo that I'm bathing is instantly going to be reported to Lucifer LMAO!!


	25. Tense Breaking of Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does what it says on the box. It's a very tense morning at the table! And chaotic, but that's a given...

As you and your demon enter the dining room hand in hand, a hush involuntarily falls. Mammon loses track of his discussion with Asmo, and Satan’s current sentence to Lucifer comes to a stuttering halt; both demons in question turn simultaneously to look at you and Belphie. Levi - with the true concentration of a gamer, wireless headphones firmly in place - doesn't look up from his device, completely oblivious to the presence of anyone or anything else in the room.

Satan has the presence of mind to recover from his faltering quickly, only earning a slightly quizzical look from Lucifer, fortunately - the only sign of his divided interest is the occasional sneaky sideways glances he gives you both as you take your seat next to Levi and Belphie heads to the buffet table at the side of the room. Asmo does not immediately notice the lack of engagement of Mammon in his discourse, but the instant he does he pouts, highly offended. “Mammon, are you not _listening_ to me _?_ I can’t believe you’re ignoring me!!!”

“H-hey! I was listenin’” protests Mammon, not convincing anyone including himself.

“You were not. What was I just saying, then, hmmm??”

“I-I… I mean, somethin’ about skincare…”

“Hmph. Yes, but I did ask you a question”. The lusty fifth-born demon follows Mammon’s gaze to you, and smirks, having found some ammunition. “My sweet, scummy brother, perhaps you are afraid of being thrown through the dining table, hmmm?”

Mammon's eyes widen “No! I ain’t afraid of nuthin’ or nobody!”

“Oh I don’t know” coos Asmo. “You do keep looking at our little brother’s human, and you know he has a bit of a temper where it comes to our delicious little morsel over there… of course, I can’t blame you, our resident human is _very_ cute, and we know how fond you are of humans, hmmm….?”

You’re relieved that Belphie doesn't rise to Asmo’s goading - he turns his back on him, picking up two plates, loading them for you both. However, this now leaves you to deal with Asmo’s stirring. “Asmodeus, I love you like a sister, but so help me if you don’t knock it off….”

“What, my little peach pit? You know, it's true… you are _adorable_!” he gushes in a sickly-sweet voice, a shit-eating grin on his face. In return, you roll your eyes at him.

Belphie returns with two plates, his with Devildom… specialties, for want of a better word, and yours with what looks like human world breakfast items – a stack of pancakes, bacon and eggs and toast – as well as two steaming cups of coffee. Apparently he’s already learned your preference in caffeine delivery, as your latte has just the right kick of bitterness and no sugar, whereas his has such a distinctively sweet smell emanating out of it that you suspect that there’s more sugar than anything else, and a spoon would stand straight up on its own in the concoction.

You smile sweetly at him “Thank you, Belphie”. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Satan's eyes watching every move, judging and weighing every interaction that takes place between the two of you. As with every other morning so far, Belphie pulls his chair closer to yours, your arms brushing each other. “Is what I chose for you ok? The bacon is Shadow Hog, and there’s Nefarious Cockatrice eggs. I tried to keep it a bit like human world fare for you” he asks quietly.

“Perfectly happy” you smile at him, performing to the watching eyes on you both.

Asmodeus, having lost the attention of his prior audience - Mammon is now completely invested in stabbing various things on his plate with a fork rather than eating and glancing at you and your demon - decides that you will be the newest victim for his morning chatter, and he starts extolling the virtues of the new skincare routine he’s just started, and how _wonderful_ it is. You just nod and smile where necessary because it’s just too damned early for this without proper caffeination. After some time, he forces your hand by throwing in a question “Have you had a moment to try the samples I left on your bathroom vanity, my little darling? I would really love your opinion on them too. Aren't they just the most _delicious_ thing ever created to go on your skin? Especially the make up remover, that is simply divine is it not?”

“Actually…. no, I haven't tried most of them as yet. I did use a little of the moisturiser this morning and it is very luxurious. Thank you Asmo, it was very sweet of you to think of me”

“Only the best for you, kitten” he says with his signature dazzling smile. “Wait a moment. You did take the makeup off your face last night, didn’t you…..? _Please_ tell me you didn’t sleep in it!”

… and now you're going to have to admit your poor routine last night. “Well yes, but the only thing that was in the attic was soap and water” at his horrified look you quickly add “I know it's not good but I was just never going to find my way back to the twins room. I'm so sorry to disappoint you -especially after all the hard work you put in yesterday”

“Darling!!!! You _didn’t_ use that on your skin! It’s going to be so _dry_!”

The fact that your thoughts from the night before on Asmo’s reaction had been so close to exact makes you want to laugh… but you don’t, because the look of pure horror on his face is genuine. “I know… I promise I won’t do it again”

“Poodle, this makes it _even more_ vital that you come to the spa with me this weekend! Belphegor, my little brother, you _must_ agree to coming! You simply must not neglect your human’s beautiful skin! These things are an important part of looking after them!”

Belphegor grimaces. “Oh, if I must. Fine. You better compensate me for my sleep time”

Asmo squeals in glee. “Oh you won’t regret this, dearest little brother of mine! If you need to sleep, you could have a massage or sleep in one of the flotation tanks, and I’ll ensure your little human is polished as bright as a diamond! I’ll make the booking today!!”

“I'm comin’ too” Everyone’s head turns to Mammon in surprise. “What? What ya looking at me like that for?”

Satan is the first to speak “I can’t think of anything to steal there… why would you want to go?”

Mammon shrugs one shoulder as nonchalantly as he can manage “I…. err… I have a modelling gig coming up next week and I gotta look my best. Yeah that's it… It’s not like I wanna go… I gotta look good to get that cold hard Grimm. You know the deal, Asmo!”

Belphie says nothing, but you see the hard look he directs at Mammon, daring him with his eyes to say something stupid, and warning him of the consequences of what will happen if he does. Asmo hums in agreement though. “That’s true, maybe you’re not as silly as I thought, my big brother. It is best to look _stunning_ for the gigs, it can mean everyone is so _blown away_ by your beauty that you have _so_ many more offers of work come in! Modelling is such fun, let me tell you about my last gig… I was paired with this delectable little succubus and after the gig was over, we all went back to her place after the gig and it was just the most _amazing_ night, she called her sister and an incubus friend and we all just…”

“ **Asmodeus** ” interrupts Lucifer. “Now is not the time or the place, show some manners. It's breakfast!”

It's at this point in the morning chaos that Beel enters, taking a plate and filling it from the buffet table with a quiet “good morning” to his assembled brothers. Taking a seat next to Belphie with the plate piled so high you wonder how the food is balancing without falling off, he notices Levi’s untouched plate. “Hey Levi, you gonna eat that?”

Not receiving an answer, he attempts to take Levi’s plate – and finally, Levi looks up from his game. “Hey don't touch that - that's mine!!”

“I asked if you were going to eat it - you didn’t answer” shrugs Beel, turning back to his own plate.

“I was busy!! Couldn’t you see that? I didn't hear you! Aaah! Now you've made me lose a life!” Groaning he sets his device on the table to the side of his plate, picking up his knife and fork; it looks a bit like a Human World Switch but the shape isn’t quite right.

“Maybe” growls Lucifer “you need to pay more attention to what’s going on around you and stop playing your games at the table!!”

“But I’m in the middle of a raid! I know you wouldn’t understand how important this is to me, I know you all just think I’m some yucky otaku however…”

Lucifer cuts his self-pitying speech off “Enough!!! One more word, Leviathan, and I will remove that device from you for the next week”

“That's so not fair!!!” Levi protests loudly.

“Would you like me to turn off your internet too?”

“N-no. I’m going to need it for online classes”

“You’re not going to RAD today?” you ask, in a vain attempt to lessen the tension – there has been more than enough of that during the last 24 hours for your liking.

Levi just glances at you sideways, not making eye contact “N-no. I thought… I-I was wondering… I don't suppose to watch some TSL with me today while everyone is out? I mean, I understand if you don’t want to spend time with me….”

You smile at him. “Oh, why not! It's not like I have a lot on my schedule right now. The only thing is the bed delivery. If you can help with that, I’m happy to keep you company in return!”

Levi looks completely floored by your cheerful acceptance, and he forgets himself, making eye contact with you for the first time this morning. “R-Really? You really want to watch it with me?” The hope on his face is a little heartbreaking.

“Of course! I would not have agreed to it if I didn't mean it. Actually, I’m looking forward to it”

He rewards you with the first actual, genuine smile you’ve seen on him. “O-oh… ok!! I'll set it up in the Common room!” He rises excitedly from his chair. “I’ll go get it sorted. Do you have any snacks?”

You bark a short laugh. “Sweetie, I came here with next to nothing just the clothes on my back, and anything I now have is courtesy of Belphie and Asmo” you smile at both of them in turn. “But I'm sure we could find something kitchen. Or maybe we can take some pancakes from the buffet?”

Beel looks horribly guilty and hangs his head. “Sorry. I ate what was left of them already. But there's still a few things that are safe for you over there.”

You give Beel a genuine smile. “It’s fine, I was just suggesting what I actually know might keep long enough for snacking and was safe for me. Would you show me what might be ok, and maybe help with a couple of plates for snacking please?”

“Sure!” he brightens up, smiling. He virtually inhales the last few scraps on his plate. “I’ll refill while I’m there!” You both had over to what’s left on the buffet, discussing the food options; Levi takes the opportunity to slip out of the room. Belphie stays in his seat, and out of the corner of your eye you notice him intently watching the loading of snack plates with a very slight frown; Satan isn’t hiding his curiosity, and it’s obvious he’s observing the unusual lack of interaction between the twins, attempting to puzzle out the mystery before him.

Once the snacking task has been completed, you turn to the remaining brothers. “Well, I’ll go settle into the common room, if someone would kindly point me in the direction. Have a good day, gentlemen!”

Beel gives you the cheekiest grin you’ve seen on him in your short acquaintance. “What, no request for a kiss goodbye this morning?”

You shake your head at him with a small smile. “Nope. That went down like a tonne of bricks yesterday so I…” your train of thought is broken by him giving you a quick peck on the cheek, and you start to laugh. “You cheeky beggar”

“Hey!! If we’re giving out free kisses you _know_ I’m in!!” squeals Asmo, and he throws his arms around your neck and kisses both of your cheeks. You shake your head at him. “Get off Asmo, this isn’t some free for all!!!”

“If it becomes one, you make sure to let me know!” he giggles and releases you, something you are thankful for as the look Belphie is now giving him is murderous.

Lucifer is currently pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head, and poor Mammon is beet red – obviously, the thought alone is enough to fluster him. When Satan walks over and pecks your cheek you’re shocked to your core… until you realise he’s watching the reaction from Lucifer and Belphie who both look like they are going to start ripping shreds off people, for differing reasons. “Satan, you’re incorrigible” you tell him in an undertone – he just gives you a mischievous smile. “I’ll see you and Belphie this afternoon” he replies, as he makes his way out the door, Beel and Asmo on his heels. Mammon stutters a goodbye and dashes out the door, and Lucifer gives a genteel farewell to you as he brings up the rear of the exiting demons.

Which leaves Belphegor. He stands, walking over to you and fidgets with the tassel hanging from the medallion on his right shoulder. “I… um, I hope you have a good day. I’ll come and rescue you from Levi after I’m done at RAD”

“No problem, I hope your day is ok – not too boring!” you smile at him. He doesn’t answer, just shifts his weight from foot to foot, and you’re unsure why he’s acting so oddly…. then it hits you, he’s not sure whether to follow the lead of his brothers.

Sighing internally, you reach up on your tiptoes and kiss his cheek yourself, shocking him to the point where he straightens up, making the contact exceedingly brief. With a light blush on his face and a pleased smile on his face, he pulls you in for a tight hug, kissing the top of your head. “I’m looking forward to spending time with you today”. He releases you, and without looking back he leaves, speaking over his shoulder. “See you this afternoon”

Slightly bewildered by the whole interaction – and quite exhausted from the lack of sleep and the thought of the meeting later today – you make your way into the Common room to settle in with Levi, plates in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess we just hit the 40k word mark... it's officially a mini-novel. Let's see if I can make it an epic. And nearly 200 kudos! Thank you guys, you really are kind!
> 
> I did "write" most of this in the bath yesterday - I used the Speech to Text function on my phone. Highly recommended for amusement value (not recommended if you get easily frustrated lol) Case in point:
> 
> My speech:  
> Belphegor returns with two plates, yours with what looks like human world food as well as two steaming cups of coffee
> 
> Voice Translation:  
> Belphegor returns with two plants, yours with things that you look sort of them with a human dog food as well as 2 cups of steaming coffee
> 
> While the wicked part of me really, REALLY wanted to leave this in, I thought that after all the angst it was terrible timing. Shame, really LMAO. I can see comments about Cerberus' food from the boys, and much disapproval from our Eldest demon LOL.


	26. TSL and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend the day with Levi, watching TSL.

At first, you don’t notice Levi when you enter the Common room, but it soon becomes clear that he’s busy fiddling about with the wall-based entertainment unit next to the entrance. “Close the door, we need to kill the light for maximum viewing! Oh, it’s been ages since I’ve had a TSL marathon!” He looks at you, orange eyes burning with his excitement and a huge smile on his face.

As requested, you softly shut the heavy door behind you and settle onto one end of the plush leather lounge situated in the middle of the room, placing the plates on the dark coffee table in front of it and waiting for the lavender haired demon to finish setting up. When he’s finally satisfied that everything is in order, he turns. With a wave of his wrist the huge chandeliers turn dark; then pausing, he looks at where you’re sitting on the lounge for a moment, then scurries over and sits on the opposite edge, as far away from you as he can possibly get, like a mouse cornered by a cat.

The morning passes pleasantly. The show is entertaining, the plot riveting and the company engaging, with the Tales of the Seven Lords’ biggest fan providing commentary throughout. You’re glad to see Levi relax as the morning wears on, becoming more and more excitable as he sees that you are genuinely enjoying the show and engaging him with questions. He eventually forgets himself in his excitement, relaxing away from the corner of the armchair and even taking snacks when you offer him the bowl. He’s still extremely careful that your skin doesn’t make contact though. When you smile at him whenever he starts to wind himself into an excitable fervour over little details in the scripts, and he blushes like a teenager and his speech falters - which is quite endearing but also a little bit troubling if you’re going to be on good terms with this being.

The first season lasts about four hours. Once it ends, you take a moment to stretch out your limbs and unintentionally yawn loudly – watching anything in a darkened room is always tiring and you’re already feeling fatigued from the lack of restful sleep.

Naturally, Levi takes your exhaustion the wrong way. “Um… if you’re bored, we can stop. You must be getting sick of watching with me, I know my brothers would be tired of it a-and m-me by now and would be itching to go do something else…”

You smile at him, tiredly. “No, it’s fine – it’s not you or the show; I didn’t sleep well. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make you feel like I’m not interested, because I’m enjoying the show and your company”

He blushes. “O-oh. Y-you are?? Um, that’s ok… do you want to start on the next season?”

“Sure. Though maybe we should get a drink before we continue, what do you think?”

He assents and you both head to the kitchen. “I think I have some… yes!! Here it is. It’s Ruri-Chan soda. Ruri-Chan is my one true love!! Much better than 3-D normies!! This flavour is not limited edition, so it’s ok to drink some. Would you like one? I-I can spare one for you” He nervously proffers you a can.

You give him a smile. “Thanks Levi, but I think I may need something a bit stronger to keep me awake. I’ll just grab a coffee, I think”

“O-ok. Do you know how to work the machine? I sometimes make them for Lucifer, I-I can show you if you want”

“That’s very kind – I did have an espresso machine back at home… um… the human world, I mean. They’re all different though. Would you direct me on how it works, if that’s ok? I learn quicker when I’m hands-on with the task though, so you can just sit back and direct!”

“Sure!” he’s pleased with the out you gave him, the option not to have to touch you and to keep his distance. He leans on the large kitchen table, and directs you to where the beans and milk are kept - and sugar, which you politely decline but take note of anyway in case you need it for a certain sleepy agent of chaos in the future.

As you start to steam the milk, he pipes up with “S-so… you really were a live sacrifice? I-I hope you’re not offended by my asking, you normies are weird about these things…”

“I’m not offended, I mean you could probably ask any of your brothers anyway, so it makes little difference.” You sigh. “And I prefer eccentric to weird. It sounds nicer… Um, yes I was a sacrifice to Belphie. Yes, they threw me, alive and kicking but drugged off my face on who knows what into a cave and yes they did cover me in liquid manure. I don’t know why they did it, exactly or why I was chosen specifically – maybe it was a random thing… I’ll probably never know”

“Oh” he absorbs the information for a while. “I just have never heard of Belphie receiving a human sacrifice, live or… otherwise, sorry. Animals, sure, but they weren’t alive. Usually it is just… well… you know, what you were covered in….”

You snort. “Well he has a live one now. To be honest, I’m not sure why he has bothered to keep me around. All the knowledge in the human world pretty much talks of what happens to sacrifices being much less… gentle, I suppose. Let’s just leave that line of discussion right there though, if you don’t mind…” you say with a rueful chuckle.

“I never thought he’d want a human around. Especially after…” he trails off, and you glance at him, removing the milk from the steam nozzle and preparing to pour it into your cup.

“Levi, are you referring to the exchange student? Beel has told me already”

He’s completely floored by this “O-oh r-really? Beel… He did…?!?”

“Yes. So yeah, I know he killed them. And I’m surprised I haven’t suffered the same fate, if I’m quite honest. The sloth dude has a temper, doesn’t he”

He smirks. “Yeah he does, when he’s riled up about something he cares about L-O-L. He’s like the lead in _I was a Lord of the Land until I fell in love with a servant and now I’m going to be exiled, but I don’t care and I’ll exact revenge on those who thwart me,_ and how he went after the king and killed them because of his one true love _”_

 _Did he_ actually _just say L-O-L out loud?_ you muse to yourself, amused.

Collecting your respective drinks, you both settle back in on the lounge to continue on to Season 2 of TSL, in much the same manner as before. Thankfully your caffeinated drink was enough to give you a much-needed pick-me-up, and you refrain from yawning. You’re so invested in the show and commentary that you barely notice the clock in the hall chime midday.

About five minutes into the fourth episode, you hear the front door close sharply. Levi groans “Nooo… someone is home!!! They’ll just interrupt us now and spoil it, and it’s getting to the good part!!” He looks so disappointed that it makes you feel bad for him, though you are starting to get a bit stiff from your position on the lounge and you’re not game to spread out too much in case it embarrasses the poor guy.

The door to the Common room opens, and with a self-satisfied smirk painted on his features Belphie saunters in. “Surprise, I’m home!” Levi just groans quietly, pausing the show, and mutters under his breath.

“Hey, you! What are you doing back so soon, I thought you’d be back later this afternoon!’

He grins. “Sorry to disappoint you there... I decided to play hookey. And I brought lunch back for us from Hell’s Kitchen for a treat… there’s enough for you too Levi, and I got you a Bufo Egg Milk Tea”

“Woah. Really?” Levi is completely floored as his brother hands out the individual bags and drinks “Thank you! You feeling alright?”

“Thank you, Belphie – what on earth makes you think I’d be disappointed in your company, you silly man?” you shake your head at him in exasperation.

He looks quite pleased with himself and with your comment, though he chooses not to comment on it. Instead, he slides into the gap between you and the arm – not that it was large to begin with – resulting in you being pushed towards the middle of the seat; in turn, this causes Levi to splutter and scramble back into his edge as far away from you as you can get. You glance at Belphie, and you just _know_ this was a deliberate act from the look on his face. He grins at you, eyes twinkling as he reaches to pull you against him, arm wrapped around your shoulders.

“I also thought I might as well watch the show with you both for a bit. We’ll be interrupted by the bed delivery later though - apparently, it’s in transit. But in the meantime, we can eat and chill”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to upload, guys! I was distracted... I kept writing. It was too much, so I've split it in two. Fingers crossed I can keep going as it looks like I have a bit on this week now. Not a bad thing, of course!
> 
> New glasses came in today! Should hopefully help with the (self-inflicted) eye strain from staring at my laptop LOL.


	27. To Embarrass a Sea Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belphie enjoys embarrassing Leviathan for his own entertainment at your expense.

As Levi re-starts the show, he looks quite pleased; not only has one of his brothers decided to indulge his TSL marathon but has also included him – bringing him his favourite food and drink. You all watch in silence while enjoying your meals. The burger your demon has bought you is delicious and, again, very close to human world food; Levi’s has some interesting _things_ sticking out of his that look suspiciously like very large spider’s legs, you avoid looking at it as much as possible. Belphie seems to be enjoying some sort of fried food, dipping it in a sweet-smelling sauce. “Can I try your burger?” he murmurs in your ear.

“Of course” you say, offering it to him, assuming he will take it, but with a mischievous grin he leans down and takes a bite. “Mmm. That’s good. Want to try mine?”

“I don’t know. _Do_ I want to try yours?” you say, looking at him out of the side of your eye.

He chuckles. “It’s nice. You should, you’ll be missing out if you don’t” he dips a morsel in the sauce, holding it out to you. When you attempt to take it he just laughs. “Uh-uh…. Say _aaah_ ….”

“You have to be _kidding_ me, right? I can feed myself”

He looks quite disappointed. “Oh, come on. Just humour me. I did bring you lunch… you wouldn’t want to disappoint me, now would you?”

“Actually. I might, at that.”

Levi is muttering something derogative that sounds a bit like wishing normies would all just disappear, and you can’t look at him because this is just _too_ _damned_ embarrassing. You attempt to take the fried… thing again with your fingers, and Belphie just holds it up away from you. “Open up… you know, I can do this all afternoon if you like…”

“Ok, eat it yourself then” you cross your arms and look away from him, causing him to just wave the darned thing in front of your face in the most obnoxiously irritating manner.

“Ugh. Fine. Anything for a quiet life…” You open your mouth, and he gently places the sweet and savory morsel inside for you to chew and swallow. The batter is thin and perfectly crunchy, and the sauce reminds you a bit of plum sauce with a strange aftertaste. “Hmmm. It’s good. What is it?”

That shit-eating grin is back, and suddenly you’re not sure you want to know after all. “Rat. Well technically Deep-Fried Glutton Rat… but same thing, really…” Expectantly, he waits for an adverse reaction, and Levi just looks on with wide eyes.

You _refuse_ to indulge him, so you reply cheerfully “Hmmm. Well… I guess you can _never_ eat enough rat. Can I have some more?” Levi bursts into loud laughter behind you both “Pfft, you just got totally _owned_ , bro!” For his part, Belphegor is a fair loser – he just dips another piece in the sauce and hands it over with a cheeky smile.

Once the current episode ends, you take it upon yourself to clear up all the discarded packaging and containers to dispose of them in the kitchen. When you return, Belphie has made himself quite comfortable in the corner of the lounge, sitting side on with one leg up on it and the other hanging off the edge - taking up pretty much all of the room not already occupied by the bewildered-looking Leviathan on the other end. You just raise an eyebrow at him; he just grins at you.

You walk over, standing in front of him and towering over him for a change. “Where am I supposed to sit now, chair thief? The armchairs? I want to watch this too, you know… I won’t see the screen properly from theeeeere HEY!!!” He pulls you down to sit between his legs, enveloping you from behind in a hug. “You could have just _asked_ instead of manhandling me!!”

He’s laughing as he says “I could have I suppose, but where’s the fun in that? Levi, want to start the next one?”

Poor Levi doesn’t know where to look. “I-I-I….. uh- I… O-ok…”

You shake your head at his antics and shuffle around a bit, trying to get comfortable; but Belphie decides to “help” in his own way by pulling you backwards to lean on him, his chin on the crown of your head. “Hmmm. I could get used to watching shows like this.” he says quietly, too quiet for Levi to hear. “We should do it more often”

Your face is so hot, you’re certain it must be the colour of a tomato. Levi has started muttering something about normies needing to _get a room_ under his breath. In the end you just take a deep breath, relax back and watch the show as calmly as possible in an attempt to calm your pulse and remove the flush from your face. It works a little, but not completely; the proximity to your demon is overwhelming as is the display of affection to the household – you _really_ hope Asmo doesn’t have an early day today. He’s so close you can feel his heart rate and it’s quite strong – as fast as yours, which you find puzzling. As the episode ends, you tilt your head to look up into his face; he looks down at you with the softest smile and squeezes you gently. The next episode starts, you shift until you can settle back against him with your cheek against his. Because damn, that demon of yours has a pointy chin.

The afternoon wears on, and the caffeine wears off. You try desperately to keep awake, however you find yourself nodding every now and then, thanks to Belphie’s warmth and Levi’s silence - he has now stopped the commentary, whether because of Belphie’s presence or the fact that there’s a disconcerting public display of affection being played out in front of him, you’re not too sure. Eventually, the fight for lucidity becomes too much and you doze off in Belphie’s arms.

~*~*~

Your neck is stiff. That’s probably what woke you this morning, and you give a low groan as you move it – realising you’re sitting up… have you dozed off reading again?

“You’re awake then… good, because our bed is nearly here” a low voice says in your ear.

Opening your eyes, you come back to reality and look up at the demon holding you gently in his arms. “Hey. Sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off… Hold on a moment, why are you awake?”

He gives you a lopsided grin. “It’s been hard… but I have that little reconnaissance mission tonight. I need to keep alert until it’s time, makes it easier. I’ll be exhausted tomorrow though.” The grin widens “So tonight, you’ll be the one holding me”

“Will I indeed… going to make me, are you?”

The smile slips a little. “Well if you don’t want to, I won’t make you… I could hold you I suppose. Though surely, you’ll regret not holding me while I’m out there in strange dreams, risking myself…”

“Oh, so you’re not going to make me, just guilt trip me huh….” you look over at Levi – unsuccessfully, as he is no longer there. The screen is now dark as well. “Hey, where’s Levi?”

“Oh - he’s gone, about twenty minutes ago, I think? He stopped watching once you decided to use me as a bed. I can’t remember his exact words… something like stupid normies who can’t stay awake…?”

You groan. “I’m going to have to apologise to him…” you squirm a bit to fish for your DDD, however the demon behind you holds you tight, preventing you from moving.

“He can wait. Now stop squirming, I’m comfortable” you wish he’d stop speaking in your ear like that, because it’s _quite_ distracting.

Tipping your head backwards to look at him upside down, you say “I’m sure he’s highly offended at the moment. He was so excited earlier; I’d hate to be the one that killed that for him”

There’s a frown - hold on, nope you are upside down so that’s a smirk. “You’re too nice to him… you can message him later. In the meantime, you’re _mine_ – I won’t be getting as much alone time with you now we’re back in the bedroom and I intend grab every spare moment that I can.”

You huff and sit back properly, unable to stop the small smile that creeps across your features, glad that you are facing away from Belphie and he can’t see it.

Belphie’s DDD chimes a notification, and he lets go of you briefly to dig it out of his pocket. “Oh, so it’s ok for you to check yours but not me, huh”

“Are you always this argumentative, Pillow? Mmm, I need to check if it’s the bed delivery… yes, they’ve arrived”.

Gently, he pushes you forward so he can slide out from behind you, then takes your hand and drags you along behind him. Opening the front door, he helps the delivery driver bring the bed in and up the stairs to the bedroom; you trail along, feeling a little useless as your offers to help have fallen on deaf ears.

Once the bed is in place against the headboard in the twin’s room, the delivery demon quickly leaves you to collect another box for the delivery. You consider the copious amount of protective packing on it for a moment, then dive on in and start ripping it off before you can be told not to help, much to Belphie’s amusement. He leans on the wall and leaves you to it yourself – the task does not take too long due to the gusto with which you threw yourself at the task, and it’s completed in minutes. Considering the large pile of discarded packaging, you ask “So… where do we get rid of that…?”

Belphie yawns. “The bin?”

“Smart ass. Fine then. Could you please tell me where the bin of appropriate size is located?”

Grinning, Belphie says “Downstairs”

“Don’t suppose you care to share the _exact_ _location_ of said bin?”

“Sure! And I will… once the next box is delivered - then we can get rid of all the packing in one lot” You roll your eyes at him and attempt to make the current pile of refuse smaller and easier to carry while you’re waiting. Thankfully, it doesn’t take too long for the delivery demon to return with the last box, which you unpack together – Belphie has purchased some new blankets and two new pillows with matching cow print cases.

“You need new pillows? I thought I was your new pillow!” you grin at him cheekily.

He blushes. “I… well yes, but I thought maybe we should have matching ones like this too… do you like them?” That intense look is back in his eyes, and he waits with a hopeful expression on his face.

“Belphie, it is a really sweet gesture.” You can’t help but be a bit cheeky though. “Anyone would think you like me a little!”

The smile lights up his face, and his eyes sparkle at you. “You know, if they did, there’s a possibility they’re right…” he saunters over and puts his arms around you. “We still have to make this thing up. But if we do I may just go to sleep now”

Standing on your toes, you reach up and kiss his cheek. “Thank you Belphie. You really aren’t what I expected from a demon”

He blushes but holds your eyes. “Is that it? You know, maybe you should try that again, with a bit more, oh I don’t know, passion….” Naturally, this is when his DDD starts ringing, and you are really not sure if you’ve just been saved… or if you wanted to be saved. He groans, and answers.

“Hello… yes, we’re still on for this afternoon…. You have? That was quick. When do you want do meet then?... Now? Ok, we’ll head over, see you shortly”

Looking at you, he explains. “That was Satan”

“I figured it must be”

“He’s finished his research already and wants us to go over to his room now.” He searches your face. “Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be. I guess we finish the bed when we get back” you smile at him. “Come on then, let’s get this over with!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't shorten this one. It just kept going. Oh well, no matter. I wonder if it means the next chapter will be shorter... though it may actually end up longer.
> 
> Satan finally gets his time next chapter, which was supposed to be a couple of chapters ago. I have an outline-ish for it, and hope to work on it later :)
> 
> My friend has been keeping me distracted helping set up a business page on Facebook, plus I had a doctor appointment today and had to pick up medication (I was out of my nerve pain medication) So RL Productivity day. Tomorrow, I have a cunning plan to go to the beach - FYI, I'm a natural redhead - well, I say redhead, but it's gone kind of strawberry blonde with age - Let's See If I Can Channel Lobster Woman!!! LOL.


	28. Pacts and Contracts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You attend a lecture, with Satan as the Lecturer on the subject of Contracts, Pacts and Covenants.

The fourth-born’s room is on the same floor as your bedroom, just across the hall and down a little, and it’s a very short walk for you both. Belphie knocks on the door thrice, pauses and knocks again. His blonde brother opens the door, piercing green eyes weighing you both before he utters a word. “Come in”

Following the host into his cramped room – large, but cramped because there are more books than anything else in the room – he says to you both “Have a seat”

You look around the room. There’s a bed, pushed closed to a beautiful Gothic arched window – _It must be a cold spot to sleep_ , you think to yourself – which has books piled on it. There’s also one plush deep plum armchair with another pile of books on it. Even the staircase to the mezzanine level is unusable because each and every step is covered in books. “Satan, I don’t mean to be rude, but where exactly can we sit?” you blurt, before thinking. Satan looks at you for a moment. “I see your meaning…”

Belphie smirks, moves the books off the chair and pulls you down to sit on his knee. “Problem sorted”

“I think you’ll find any excuse to embarrass me, Sloth man” you say, flushing.

“That may well be so” he grins at you, and yawns widely. “Ok Satan, I need to sleep… what have you come up with?”

Satan doesn’t justify his youngest brother’s antics with a comment; he does watch everything with interest, hand thoughtfully on his chin; you feel like a jigsaw puzzle that he’s attempting to put together by telepathy.

“Well” He finally says, perching on the tiny area of his bed that isn’t covered in his books, facing you both. “I have considered the given facts, Belphie, and while there were a number of options, I believe there are only a couple of these that possibly fulfil your requirements. All of them could be considered a form of mutual agreement.” He pauses, looking at your demon. “You mentioned you already have a covenant, yes?”

“Yes” states Belphegor.

“Right. I’m aware that you know how they work, however, for the sake of ensuring correct decision-making – and to ensure your human is _fully_ informed – allow me to reiterate.” He pauses, looking directly into your eyes for a moment to ensure he has your attention, then stands and continues his discourse while slowly pacing the small amount of floor space left in his room. “A covenant is an agreement, a verbal bond between demon and human. Sometimes called an oath, however a true oath has a finite time for enforcement, therefore we will not consider it here as it will not fulfil the desired conditions. While it _is_ binding until the demise of one or the other party, it also requires exceptionally faultless wording. Intentions and thoughts are not taken into consideration like in the rest of the options which we will consider, therefore it’s weaker and leaves room for…. _Reinterpretation;_ so while it’s an option, it’s possibly not one I’d use for this particular scenario due to the fact that if things change I believe the human could be at risk. It would be lengthy – to ensure it had no wiggle room – and it may take days to word correctly; also the demon must have something they desire completely in exchange or it won’t work at all.” He pauses to collect his thoughts.

 _So he must **really** want to be in my dreams then_ you muse to yourself.

Satan continues “In this case, you would have to decide what you desire from your pet, Belphie – whether it be the human’s soul or something else. You seem to have gained all you desired from the last covenant so perhaps that would be enough, though I would need to know the full details as if it’s only a minor exchange, it may not be for the amount of power that will be required to put this one into place. Also… only one can be in effect at any given time so the current one would need to be broken. Bearing in mind the further fault of this” he pauses to glance at you both “being it’s capable of being broken by both sides with more ease than any of the next options”

“Both of us?” You state, looking directly at Belphegor. He glances away from your glance, refusing to make eye contact.

“Indeed. Oh, it’s much harder for the demon usually, but not completely unheard of. It will weaken their power considerably for a century or so.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “For us that’s not a large amount of time.”

You look back at Belphie, eyebrow raised; he manages to look sheepish.

“Secondly, we have the Contract. A Contract is that which is ingrained into human world pop culture; it is a standard form of agreement where the soul is exchanged for the blessing or boon from a demon. Normally the human – the Contractee – will summon the Demon – or Contractor – to commence these proceedings. These are normally tilted in favour of the demon, and while some intention is taken into consideration by the binding, there is always room for manoeuvre. Therefore, I do not believe that this particular agreement will suit the purposes you require.”

“No,” Belphegor comments. “Let’s not consider it any further; the contracts that I’ve previously taken out with humans I found also reduced the lifespan for the human, and the soul will be destroyed once the contract is completed – it’s not what I'm wanting to do here” You feel exceptionally relieved to hear this.

Again, Satan stops, studying his brother. “Hmm. Indeed… Moving on the third option then. This is the Pact - of course Belphie, you are familiar with these having held one with the exchange student.” He looks at you. “You however are not familiar with them, so I shall explain further for your benefit. A Pact is more of a… _binding_ between the Demon and the human. It’s a similar to a contract, in some ways as it also requires an exchange of something - however in this case, it's more similar to the covenants in which you exchange something of value the demon desires. In this case it can be anything from the human’s soul, to their firstborn child – or next born, if they are currently parents - to part of the earnings of the human, or some sort of kick back from the magical powers of the human, and sometimes the blood of the victims of the human, if their intentions for the pact are of the more violent sort - it really depends on the kind of pact agreement required, and demon in question. It exists for the lifetime of either party, and once either of the parties die the Pact will simply disappear in its entirety. It also requires a simple… consummation of sorts; ranging from a simple touching of hand to skin, to a kiss - chaste or otherwise - or if it’s Asmo you can guarantee he would require full consummation…”

You blush but don’t speak, and Belphie chuckles quietly before answering “Yes, that would be Asmo... I think a Pact may work, as it's closer to what I was thinking. What do you think Pillow?”

“Well, I think the contract sounds more practical so far - as long as that's ok with you of course, Belphie.” You pause and search Satan’s face, looking for any sign of what he’s thinking, but he’s as closed as most of the grimoires that are lying around the room. “Can you tell me more about the effects of the Pact? What do I _actually_ gain from it, and how will it affect me in general? Also, are there any side effects?”

He quirks an eyebrow at you briefly before replying. “You gain some of the demon’s powers. These will vary between the type of demon you deal with and the strength of the demon. If you were to make a pact with a lesser demon, you will only receive some of their sin power – a Greed demon will give you control over money, power and materialistic things, for example. In your case, should you take out a pact with Belphegor, you will gain more than control over dreams and sleep. You’ll also gain some of his strength as he is a high-powered Demon Lord. You may not be able to do anything with the power you gain, it really depends on your latent magical properties – I can sense you are currently not a user of magic, so only creating a pact will tell if you have any, as they will likely awaken. You will also both gain a marking on your skin. Depending on the demon and sometimes the human if they are given a choice, they may not wish to have it visible, and it’s possible not to show it.” He looks at Belphie. “Would you want a visible sign on your human? I suspect you would, somehow”

“Yes. No question. I want everybody to know that they are under my protection and belong to _me_.”

“Well in that case, there will be a mark, and the only other factor will be the size of it”

Glancing at Belphie, you state flatly “If you cover my body in a bloody great big pact mark, I will be _extremely_ pissed off”

He chuckles and squeezes you. “It’s going to be visible, but I promise it won't be head to toe. We can discuss where and how big later”

Shaking your head at him, and you turn your attention back to Satan. “Is that all the options?”

Satan pauses for a long time, scrutinising you both. Eventually he releases a breath. “No... there is one more… However, it's _exceptionally_ rare and there are certain… _requirements_ that would need to be met before we could even _begin_ to consider it as an option. I would require Belphegor’s permission to test him for it, and it’s a lengthy process.” He does not continue with this line of thought, studying you both as if you are a completely unique genus of animal caged for his study.

“Get on with it” Belphie groans. “If you don't tell us, we can't even begin to consider it!”

The normally cool demon blushes a little and seems loathe to go further… however, he has no choice having brought it up in the first place. He looks hard at Belphegor and sighs. “I’m referring to a Soul Contract”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how pacts and contracts would actually work exactly, so none of this has any kind of basis - a little cannon, perhaps, but mostly head cannon lol. As is what will be discussed next chapter. The plan had been one chapter for all of this, but it got quite long and now I have to stop to get ready for the Beach so here's half thereof. 
> 
> Today I was supposed to have a blood test, but stupid forgot to fast (I don't think I need to, but as I've always done it, probably a necessity for proper comparison); so I just took my father and "wrote" via text to speech. It certainly puts down a large amount quickly. If you can translate it later, that is LOL.


	29. Permanent Bindings and Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The possibility of a Soul Contract is discussed... and Satan throws a little spanner into the works. Metaphorically, of course.

The silence after Satan’s statement is heavy; he stands in place, coolly considering the reaction of you both. You look at him curiously, awaiting his further explanation. Belphegor, however, tenses behind you, and only says “Oh”

When neither of them speak further, you fidget on Belphie’s lap – he holds you a little tighter to stop your wriggling – and ask “So… do either of you intend to actually explain to me what this is? Or is it a case of ignorance is bliss…?”

Satan snaps out of his reverie. "Right. Yes, of course. A soul contract, also known as a soul pact, is not a common agreement; in fact, it's quite rare and therefore there's very little research on them. For it to even take effect, it requires the demon to have an immense passion for the human Contractee, and a selflessness towards them which of course is not generally associated with demons in that they must care deeply for their human’s wants, needs and well-being. This desire to ensure the human soul is protected is the basis of the pact binding, and the pact holder gives nothing further to the demon… except for one especially important detail." He pauses and seems to be attempting to word the next part _just so_. " The Contractee’s soul is now bound to the demon for all eternity, and vice versa of course. The human, should they reincarnate, will always have the pact in existence. There is no exit clause. There is no known way to reverse or transfer this bond once it is in place, though there has been at least one notable example of a human attempting to break the contract unsuccessfully. Should the human take up a standard contract with another demon with their soul as the exchange collateral, on completion of the contract it will become null and void - the Soul Contract will prevent their soul being taken by any other demon. It is a permanent and binding agreement in all ways”

“Oh” you say quietly. “I see”

Satan continues. “I only bring this up as a possibility - it may not be a reality due to the fact that Belphegor would need to have the correct amount of affection and desire to actually create the pact. Therefore, this may not even be something we can consider. I would need to test Belphegor's actual attachment for you if you want to explore this as an option.” He looks at Belphie. “It is a lengthy process but one I would be willing to undertake if you wish”

There is a pregnant pause; you eventually break it, asking “Is that all of the differences to a normal Pact? Would I just have to suffer eternity being attached at the hip to Belphie?” you grin back at your demon, attempting to break the tension being caused by the subject.

“Don’t knock it till you try it, human” he growls, chuckling and giving you a gentle squeeze.

Satan’s lips quirk slightly “Well, as I said, there's been extraordinarily little research on them, from what I gather due to the rarity, and also it appears to be quite a private matter when one comes into effect. From the small amount of information I’ve found thus far, it seems it's probably the closest thing to a marriage between a demon and a human, which is why I suspect the privacy has been so high around the subject. If it’s something you wish to consider I will do more research of course… however, I found a note that some of the bound parties can actually feel each other's emotions to some level - how much I cannot say, and I cannot tell if it's like a psychic bond or just a general feeling in the back of the mind, like extended nerves. There seems to be speculation in some of the research that if a demon is completely and utterly enamoured the strength of the bond will be stronger than if they are just very fond of the human.” He pauses, silently looking at his hands, his nails immaculate, flawlessly painted in lime green. “In no way is this a decision to be made lightly. This is a decision that you would need to consider for some time before you jump into it, and you would need to be _absolutely certain_ \- both of you - because there is no turning back should this be a route you choose to take.”

Silence again falls between the three of you. Satan is watching you both, studying the reactions you both give off. You glance back at Belphie, his expression is guarded, but he looks into your eyes, searching with an intense expression that you cannot begin to fathom. “It sounds like a lot of work for you both to even test it. Perhaps it’s too much effort, and we should consider one of the other options?” you squeeze Belphie’s arm and smile softly.

“No. I think we should at least test it, and I’m willing if you and Satan are” he replies softly, surprising you, considering the implications of such a binding.

Satan clears his throat and you both glance at him. “With respect, if believed that there was no possibility of being able to undertake a Soul Contract, I would not have mentioned it at all – I see how you are acting, Belphie. You have been acting like a schoolboy with a crush since the day you acquired your human, and I wonder if there is more _depth_ to your feelings for them... I will conduct the test for you both, should you desire it – at the very least it will be an interesting study, and I could write some further research on the subject. However,” and his eyes harden as he looks at you both. “I have a sneaking suspicion that there's even more at play with the two of you. I would really like if you would permit me to be able to test my suspicions”

“What do you mean” asks your demon, suspiciously.

“I feel magic at play.” Satan recommences his pacing of the room. “I have this - how do I explain it – ok, it’s not something that’s obvious when you are separate, only when you’re together in the same room. Something that is not quite normal. There is a taste… a _hint_ \- very subtle, exceedingly slight and so slight it could easily be missed - of some _indefinable_ magic that binds you together. It reminds me of” he tapers off, pacing the length of the room before continuing “It reminds me of something I know… I have a suspicion, but I’d rather run a test before I give my thoughts.”

Belphie’s face registers the same amount of surprise you feel. “I’d be happy to allow you to test me, Satan – of course, as long as it doesn’t cause me any harm” you say.

Belphie smiles at you, then looks at Satan. “I’ll also be happy to do any and all testing you think is necessary. I trust your judgement, and it’s best to have all the facts before we go further”

With a rare genuine smile, Satan says “Excellent! I am glad that you are both on board with this. I will test you both separately to start with, however I may need to run further tests with you both present simply because the magic may only be active while you are in each other's company. We will see what the outcome is and go from there. As for repercussions of my testing, there will be none as it is only diagnostics at this point - perhaps some mild dizziness and discomfort. If anything further is needed, we will cross that bridge if necessary.”

“I won't have my human hurt” Belphie says, an edge to his voice. “Even if it means that I have to live with some magical force at play”

“I shouldn't be too concerned, little brother. I do not think it will come to anything too drastic. I shan’t speak of any of my suspicions until I'm quite certain. In the meantime, you have plenty to think about. I shall give you some space so that you may do this; if you'll excuse me, tonight I will research the test I shall run, and if time permits I’ll make a start on the Pact and Soul Contract a little more fully to ensure that there is absolutely nothing that I've left out. I believe you should take the time to consider this properly - perhaps a week or two - so that you may come to the correct decision for you both.”

That being said, he walks to the door and opens it looking at you both with a one eyebrow raised. It's obvious that your meeting is at an end, and he wishes nothing more than for you to leave his presence.

You and Belphie stand, and he says “Thank you for your time Satan. I do appreciate the effort you have gone to.” You both make your way towards the door.

As you pass him, you touch his arm, squeezing it gently. “Thank you. I appreciate your help with this; and I really appreciate your informing me fully.”

He looks surprised at your gesture. “You're welcome. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to message me, and I’ll be happy to discuss any concerns with you at length”

You smile at him. Belphie glances at him out of the corner of his eye, and you both leave the introvert to his own devices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it, Satan has had his day in the sun and I'm sure he's going to behave a bit better for a short while. One hopes! Going to do my best to write two chapters today because I'll be busy over the weekend.
> 
> I've already been exhausting myself in RL ways, because I love to burn the candle at both ends but my body likes to show who's in charge. My body is an ass (metaphorically, of course). The beach was freezing cold, so there was no way I was getting in the water... but still, I'm now suffering from Temperature Sensitivity (it's a Fibromyalgia thing) and I cannot warm up. Perhaps a yoga/bath combo is required to kick everything back into submission lol.


	30. Ruling out Options

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your demon discuss the meeting and options with Beel.

You both head back to the twin’s room, closing the door behind you. Belphie yawns. “Well he’s definitely given us a lot to think about. That amount of information is exhaustive. I need a nap…”

“You can’t nap yet! We have to make this bed up!”

“I can borrow Beel’s bed…”

“I can’t. Besides, we also have to clean up for dinner.”

“Maybe I should sleep through it.”

“So, you’re wanting me to go down alone…?”

He groans. “No… no I don’t. Ok. Let me get out of my uniform.” He finds a change of clothes and heads into the bathroom.

While he’s in there, you grab the opportunity to check your DDD; it has been pretty quiet on there today, just notifications from Devilgram that Asmo has been busy posting selfies of himself here, there and everywhere. From the group chat, Mammon has attempted to break into the rare potion room and has been caught red handed – naturally denying everything – and the other brothers are laying into him for his newest escapade. You decide to stay out of this particular argument. The only other thing is to message Levi, it seems.

{PillO Hey Levi}

{PillO I’m so sorry that I fell asleep earlier.}

{PillO I feel awful…}

{PillO Any chance we can re-watch it again sometime?}

You wait for a few minutes, wondering if he’s really annoyed at you. Relief washes through you when you see the dots that mean he’s replying, however it takes some time any answer to come through.

{L3V1 You don’t have to apologise}

{L3V1 I know you’re probably grossed out by a marathon with me, it’s ok}

{L3V1 It’s not like you would really want to re-watch it, no need to get my hopes up}

Sighing internally, you type your reply

{PillO Leviathan, I wouldn’t have bothered messaging you to apologise and ask to make up the episodes if I didn’t want to watch it with you}

{PillO Can you forgive my sleeping on you, and if so, can we PLEASE watch more of TSL?}

{L3V1 …..}

{L3V1 You really mean it? You’re not just being nice?}

{PillO Yes, I mean it.}

{L3V1 Well yes, I guess we could, if you want. We can restart from the last episode you saw}

{PillO Awesome! Look forward to it}

{PillO I’ll see you at dinner}

You log off and find something to change into suitable for dinner - just in the nick of time as Belphie walks out in his signature hoodie. It doesn’t take long for you to freshen up, and you walk out to see Belphie sitting on his bedside chair and typing on his DDD.

“Just messaging Satan. He wants to start testing us tomorrow for the magic, all going well he’s going to look at testing me for Soul Contract over the weekend or early next week”

“OK. Are you sure you want to test for a Soul Contract? Sounds like it’s going to be a pain in the proverbial for you”

“Oh, I don’t know. Sounds like I can sleep through some of it, so shouldn’t be so bad”

“Speaking of sleep… we should get this bed made up so we can use it” Walking to the near side of the bed, you start putting the base covers over the mattress. Your demon groans and stands to take the side closest to the wall. All in all, it takes only a few minutes with you both working around each other like the cogwheels in a clock. Every now and then as you work, you glance at Belphie – and every time you notice his eyes are on you. The more often you find him doing it, the more uncomfortable you feel – because, who really enjoys being stared at – and you flush, embarrassed by his scrutiny.

As you complete your task, placing the top cover onto the bed and pushing away the wrinkles, Beel arrives back from his training session; a schoolbag over one shoulder and training bag in the other hand.

“Hey Beel! How was your day?” you greet him cheerfully.

He doesn’t smile. “Ok, training went well. You ok?”

Ignoring the actual meaning of his question, you smile and say “Sure am. Had a great day watching TSL with Levi and Belphie”

“I’m glad to hear it” He cracks, a small smile on his face which leaves as soon as it arrives, as he looks over at his younger brother. “So that is where you were all afternoon. I wondered where you’d disappeared to.”

“Yeah… I skipped my afternoon classes. Decided I’d rather be home” Belphie smiles sheepishly; the tension from this morning is still in the air.

Turning away from you both, Beel empties his training bag of dirty clothes and stows it on the bed, speaking over his shoulder. “Did you meet with Satan?”

“Yes” Belphie replies. “We met with him and discussed our options.”

He doesn't elaborate further, just looks at his brother, guilty look on his face like he just raided Beel’s snack drawer. When it becomes obvious he's not going to speak further, you decide enough is enough and speak up. “This is ridiculous. I hate this tension between you two, and I hate that I’m the cause of it. Can we _please_ just move forward?”

Beel looks at you. “You are _not_ the cause of it”

You snort. “I beg to differ. It wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t here. This is a wedge caused by my presence. Sure, the actions that caused it are not my fault; and I will say that I didn’t feel completely safe after the little incident in the attic until we had a discussion with Satan.” Glancing at Belphie, you continue “He’s trying, Beel. I think he’s genuinely trying”

The smile that graces Belphie’s face is soft, and his eyes sparkle at you. “I am. I don’t want you to be afraid to be with me. I know how I was in the past, Beel – this is different, I promise”

Beel looks sad. “I hate disagreeing with you Belphie. But I can’t have you not responsible for your actions. If you can’t control yourself, first and foremost you’ll end up in all sorts of strife with Lucifer – I couldn’t stand it if he locked you away from me again… and secondly, I like your human. They’re not like most of the humans we have contact with. They don’t want anything from us”

“Not true” you interject with a cheeky grin, and Beel’s eyebrows raise. “I want you not to hurt me for starters. And I miss watching the way you two interact when you’re not at odds with each other, it’s one of the good things about being dragged down here. Please, I’m begging you. Will you put it behind you for me?”

Belphie moves from where he was fixing the bed covers, standing behind you and wrapping his arms around you. “I’m willing.”

Beel finally smiles, and it’s like the sun has come out from behind a cloud. “You don’t want anything from us in the normal sense… Ok. I’ll do it. For you” his eyes flick to his brother, then back to your face. “He’s lucky to have you. So… about that meeting with Satan”

“Yes. He discussed several options for us… we haven’t really discussed them since, so I guess now is our chance... you want to hear about them, right?”

“I do” Beel responds quietly

“Ok. Well he mentioned a covenant. But I think it would be a bit messy, it seems to be a long process to get it right. What do you think Belphie?”

“Yeah, I think you are right” he answers.

“And you have one already. You can only have one in place at a time, can’t you?” Beel muses thoughtfully.

“Yes. However, Satan has told us that it can be broken by either party – not just me - and we would need to do this in order to create a new one.” You can’t keep a slight note of annoyance out of your tone.

“I didn't know that” Beel replies, surprised.

“Neither did I” Belphie replies next to your ear. His grip tightens briefly on your torso. “I thought that once it was in place it was permanent on my side, especially with the wording used. I didn't mean to lie to you”

You just hum in reply to this. “Well. I think it’s out, what about you?”

“Yeah. I think we can rule it out”

“Right. The second option was a Contract. I want to rule it out though. I'm not on board with the idea of giving my soul up to you”

“Hey, why not? I’m not bad for a demon!”

“Sure, you’re not bad for a demon, but I just don’t want to do it!”

He chuckles in your ear. “I was going to rule it out anyway. I don’t want to do that; it would destroy your soul. I don’t think that’s fair” when you try to turn to look at him, he holds you tighter, preventing you from moving. “What, you think I’m completely without any kind of sense of fairness? You didn’t choose this, and I like having you around. So even if you hadn’t already ruled it out, I am”

Beel is watching Belphie, smiling. “I’m glad. Contracts are a nasty business for a human. Best kept for the nasty humans who want them”

You look at Beel and smile at him, he really is like a big bear – nothing like you’d expect from a demon. “Well then. The next option is a Pact, which apparently you all had with the Exchange Student. This doesn’t sound like a bad option to me, but I’m not sure what I could give sloth man in exchange – it’s not like I have any of my possession here, and I’m not even sure what happened to them to be honest… out of curiosity, does time pass differently here to the human world?”

Belphie replies “No, it passes the same. Your belongings should be however you left them, provided nobody in the human realm has done anything with them. To be honest, there's likely to be nothing that I’d want from them”

“Well, barring that one little detail, the pact sounds like a more promising option - possibly the best one for both of us” you say.

“Yes, that sounds like a more practical option - as long as you can find right motivation for Belphie to ensure it takes properly. Of course, the stronger the motivation the stronger the strength of the Pact binding” Beel agrees.

Belphie hums in agreement. You fall silent. After the awkward exchange with Satan on the subject, you're not going to broach the subject of the Soul Contract.

“You’re not going to tell Beel about the Soul Contract?” Belphie says, and you can hear the amusement in his voice.

“Nope. You want to discuss that, Mister, you go right ahead”

Beel looks quite shocked. “Oh… he actually considered… that?”

“Yes. He did. He seems to think there may actually be a chance we can put it in place, though he needs to test me to see…” Belphie trails off.

Beel looks at you both for a long moment. “Are you actually seriously considering it as an option?”

Belphie doesn’t answer. “I don’t know” you reply. “It seems like a very permanent commitment considering we’ve only spent days in each other’s company… I don’t think we’ve had time to think it over”

“I don’t care that it’s a short length of time” Belphie says quietly, right by your ear.

“You need to think this through properly, Belphie” says Beel. “This is a huge commitment. It’s not something that can be reversed!”

“And it sounds like a huge hassle for you too, Belphie” you add. “The testing sounds lengthy”

“I don’t mind” he replies. “I want to find out”

You all fall quiet for a moment. “Well, we need to do the other testing anyway…” you add.

Beel asks “What other testing?”

Belphie answers with “We may be under the influence of some sort of magical influence. And Satan may not have told you… but in our messaging, he needs to know if it’s malevolent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to leave this here, running late - catching up with a friend today. The blood test took way longer than anticipated.
> 
> Have "Villains of Circumstance" by Queens of the Stone Age stuck in my head, so I'm not sure if that's a play list, it really doesn't relate to the chapter lmao... going to go get something else stuck in my head now, it will be a long drive this morning!


	31. The Slippery Thread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beel learns about the possibility of residual magic, and at the request of the affected parties, does a little exploring of his own.

You move around in Belphie’s arms quickly, taking him by surprise at the suddenness of your movements and manage to look up into his magnetic eyes. “What do you mean? Why didn’t you tell me about this? Hell, why didn’t Satan mention this to us??”

“He only mentioned it to me in the texts a little while ago, I hadn’t had a chance yet!” he says, defensively. “As for why he did not mention it sooner, I really don’t know. Maybe it occurred to him later. Or he didn’t want to frighten you.”

“Well now I’m frightened _and_ peevish. Not a particularly great combination, I assure you” you huff at him.

He looks at you, amused. “But it makes for an interesting look on your face. I should try to do it more often”. He laughs when this comment earns him a glare.

Beel breaks his silence, concerned. “What are you talking about?”

Belphie does not break eye contact with you as he answers. “Apparently, when we are together, Satan can feel some sort of… residual magic between us. He refuses to go into it further. He is going to test us separately tomorrow and go from there. I’ve probed a little – nothing too invasive – but I cannot sense anything at all” A thoughtful look passes across his face, and he looks at his twin. “Beel… what about you, can _you_ sense anything?”

Beel is silent for a long moment. “You know I'm not the strongest at this sort of thing, my talents lie elsewhere. Satan really is the one who should be testing you.”

“I’m not asking you to test us. I’d just like you to see if you can feel… anything _odd_ , that’s all”

“I can try” Beel says quietly. “But only if you’re sure. I don’t want to be intrusive on either of you”

“I'm game if you are” Belphie speaks into your ear and squeezes you, letting you know this statement is for your benefit.

“Beel. I trust you implicitly. Go ahead” you say quietly, smiling at the demon in question.

The big demon sighs as he sinks onto the chair beside Belphie’s bed, looking at you both. “Sit on the bed, and I’ll give it a go” Belphie goes to pull you onto his knee, but Beel says “No, side by side. I can’t do this unless your energy is a little separated and sitting like that would only muddy it. But I will need your skin touching, it will create a small bond”

You are permitted by the cuddly sloth demon to manoeuvre yourself onto the bed next to him, and he smiles down at you, lacing his fingers between yours; you are too nervous about what is about to happen to return the smile. Beel speaks “Breathe deeply and close your eyes”. You follow his instructions, and after a moment or two you start to feel a slightly dizzy, tingling sensation, which lasts for some minutes; is it ten, or more? You are unsure, time becomes slippery with the odd sensation.

Eventually, Beel sighs and says, “I’m done guys. You can relax now.”

“Did you find anything?” you ask quickly, anxious for an answer.

“Yes” he says simply. “Satan was right, there’s something there”

There’s a pause, as the information is absorbed, then Belphie asks “What do you think it is?” 

“I’m…. not sure. It is the tiniest metallic tang. I can say it’s not related to my sin, so it’s hard for me to work out what it could be. I can’t gather much more than that”

“ _Much more_. So you know something” Belphie says, his tone considering.

“Suspect not know. I’m not certain. But it does not feel… _evil_. It has a playful feel, mischievous even. But when I go after it, it’s like trying to grip water in my hands, and it’s the tiniest spark left. I wish I could tell you more” Beel looks sad when he says this.

“Thank you, Beel. You did your best; you said you weren’t strong in this. I appreciate it” you say, smiling at him.

He looks at you and returns the smile. “I’m glad to help at all. But I do think it you should get this testing with Satan done as soon as you can. I need to know that you’re both ok.”

You think about the situation for a moment, turning possibilities over in your head. “I don’t suppose it could be something to do with me being thrown in a hole in the ground as a sacrifice – could that have created some sort of magical Bond between us?”

“I… I don't know” Beel looks at you, thoughtfully.

“Me either. But maybe. There was some summoning magic involved, perhaps it left a trace…” Belphie says contemplatively.

“Just a random thought” you say. “Well, I guess we just have to get Wrath Boy onto that testing tomorrow. Has he mentioned a time to you yet, Belphie? Maybe I should message him myself, see if he wants to see me tomorrow, if he has time.”

“I’ll message after dinner and ask him” Belphie says quickly. “I want to ask him about my testing too, and set up the weekend for the Soul Contract testing, if he’s free”

“So soon?” you ask, surprised and a little baffled. “You really are seriously considering the Soul Contract?”

“Why not?” he asks, looking down with a serious expression, the slightest flush of pink on his face. “It could be entertaining. Besides, it will most likely annoy Lucifer and his boyfriend Diavolo, and that's always going to be fun”

Beel’s low laugh at Belphie’s words sounds more like a growl. “I think Diavolo would be fine with it, you know how he likes to promote relations between the three realms”

“Ugh. Don’t you start preaching at me too, we hear enough from him” Belphie says, shooting a displeased look at his brother. He turns his gaze back to you, features carefully arranged into a neutral expression. “What about you, what are your thoughts on it? And I do not mean about the hassle of the testing, I’m referring the actual arrangement, as it were. Are… are you against being tied to me?”

You look at him for a long moment. “I…. I don't know” you quietly answer him honestly. “I… _we_ have hardly had time to think this through, not properly, have we? It's a big decision, don’t you think, to be tied to somebody for all eternity…” 

You could swear that Belphie momentarily looks disappointed, but it’s so brief that you’re not sure you saw it; the neutral expression returns so quickly you may be wrong. “Mmm. I guess we should not make a snap decision. We should at least sleep on it”. And so saying, he yawns widely. 

“Besides, maybe it won’t even work, in which case I’ll be happy for us to enter into a pact”

He smiles at you, obviously pleased that he has your agreement on binding yourself to him. “Agreed, then. We can consider the Soul Contract, but otherwise, I’m going to be your Pact demon” He blinks and yawns again.

You look at him hard. “You’ve been awake for an awfully long time today. In fact, I would say that you have hardly complained that you’re tired… what gives?”

Beel answers before he can speak. “You said you’re going to go dream walking… you probably took that potion to keep you awake so that you can enter the dream quickly and deeply again. I seriously wish you wouldn’t do that.”

Belphie looks away from Beel’s gaze. “I know… and I know I’ll pay tomorrow… but it’s necessary today. I’ll be ok Beel, don’t worry about me so much” He flashes a sheepish grin at you both.

“What side effects.” you ask him.

“Oh it’s not that much. I’ll be exhausted for the next day or so. That’s ok, I’ll just sleep through classes tomorrow”

Beel chimes in with “And you are sometimes nauseous and don’t eat. And sometimes you have a splitting headache.” Belphie just looks down at his nails; they’re now all chipped and the polish is almost completely off his index finger, you note.

You give him a hard look. “You should take better care of yourself. Was it necessary to take it, really?”

He looks embarrassed. “No, not really, I guess…. Just a precautionary measure, it can make it all easier”

Beel laughs. “Looks like there’s two of us on your case now” Belphie groans, covers his eyes and lays back on the bed.

“Don’t go to sleep yet! We have to go down to dinner… how long have we got?” you try to pull him upright, but he’s just too heavy for you.

He checks the time on his DDD, holding it above his head. “We should go down anytime now, really”

“Well then, get up and let’s get moving!”

Beel laughs and stands, smiling at you both. You’re incredibly glad to see him looking more like the cheerful demon that you have come to know. “I’d better quickly wash up. See you down there”

As he heads into the bathroom to do just that, Belphie stands with a groan. “Ok. Let’s go now, before I crash out”

You smile at him and take his hand in yours; his look of surprise at your gesture quickly turns to pleasure. “I could get used to this” he says.

“Well, I suppose you had better because it looks like you’re planning on keeping me around!”

“I am….”

“In that case, I’m hungry and your brother in there may not leave us anything if we don’t hurry up” your smile turns into a cheeky grin.

Belphie laughs, squeezes your hand and leads you out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me way too long today. Thought I'd have it done this morning, as my friend cancelled... however, I was trying to write this while chatting to my friends... Oh, and then there's the whole "Dude What I Went To School With who Slid into the DM's on Facebook" fiasco *facepalm* There's a whole story there on it's own ROFLMAO... I seriously can't even... So glad that this community is not like that, or today I would have ran for the hills :P
> 
> The thing about the magic. I cannot wait to write that chapter but I can't yet!!! It's too far off. But. It's going to be a blast! Not for poor Lucifer, I'd wager...


	32. The First Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Men of HOL, chaotic as always.

There’s a loud squeal when you and your demon walk in hand-in hand. “Oooooh there you are! Belphie has kept you to himself _too much_ today. I’ve missed you, Princess!!” You briefly wonder if Asmo’s voice could cut through glass, as you give him a death glare.

“Do. Not. Call. Me. Princess.” You growl at him. Belphie, is chuckling at your side, enjoying the chaos. “I will tolerate most of your pet names. _Not_ that one, it’s insulting”

Asmo for his part, is taken aback. “Wow! Well… I didn’t know it was insulting, I thought… No matter, there’s plenty of other things I can call you, my little… _kitten_ ” he says, devious smile returning to his perfect features as he ups the ante on his naming. Belphie’s grip tightens on your hand briefly; he leads you to the seat as far away from Asmo as demonly possible, pulling out the chair next to Satan who greets you with a nod and returns to reading his tome.

“Awww you don’t have to seat them so far from me Belphie! How unreasonable” pouts Asmo. Mammon, for his part, adds “Hey! Isn’t it my turn to sit near them? You can’t hog them to yourself, Asmo!”

Asmo snorts. “My dear stupid brother, you know you have to sit _right there_ next to Luci today after your antics in the Rare Potion Room….”

“Ya could move, couldn’t ya! In fact, ya should! Show some respect, prettyboy!”

“And why should I do so, _Mammoron_? I’m sooo _comfortable_ here. Besides, the mirror is opposite my seat – perfectly situated so I can ensure I’m _simply gorgeous_ at all times…”

You hear Satan sigh next to you as the conversation turns into petty squabbling, and you could _swear_ that Levi used some rather spicy language as he mutters under his breath about the noobs he lives with, eyes glued to his DDD. Belphie, for his part, seems to be enjoying the show; for all it’s worth, apparently the Sin of Sloth also requires one to be an Agent of Chaos. Today, your demon has decided to move his chair so it’s hard against yours, and he’s so close that your thighs touch; you cannot move your arm easily because he’s so damned close, but he solves that particular problem by sitting with his arm draped lazily over your shoulder. 

Everyone is so wrapped in their current activities that the “SILENCE” an exasperated Lucifer roars at the squabbling pair makes everyone jump. Deathly stillness falls over all of the beings in the room, The Demon of Pride, rubbing his temple, walks to his chair at the head of the table, sweeping his cape under him in one fluid motion as he seats himself with all the grace you’d expect from him. He sweeps a steely glare over his brothers, gaze stopping at the youngest who is glued to your hip. “Belphegor. Exactly where were you this afternoon”

Belphie’s tightens his hand on your shoulder slightly. Smirking at his brother, he replies “I was… otherwise engaged”

Lucifer’s eyes flash at him in anger. “As a Lord of the Realm, you have _obligations_. Do not embarrass me. I expect you not to disappoint Lord Diavolo.” he growls. “And sit properly at the table. Move your chair over and give your pet room to move.”

That’s enough to wipe the smirk off Belphie’s face, and as he moves his chair over – only the bare minimum, you note – he glares at the eldest brother, muttering under his breath so low that only you can hear the words. “Yes, Lord Muck, we wouldn’t want to disappoint your _boyfriend_ now would we…” you quirk your lips slightly at him, attempting to keep a poker face. It may be a blessing that Lucifer doesn’t notice this particular piece of snark, but it feels like a soul crushing curse that the angry demon’s eyes have now moved to you, laser glare cutting through you.

“How was your day” he asks, curtly, catching you off guard at the attempted pleasantry of a dangerous being in a bad mood.

“I… Good thank you, Lucifer”. Short and sweet, and you hope he’s going to move on to another _victim_ ; unfortunately, he is not finished with you yet.

“How did you spend it?” His questioning is terse and curt, unlike the previous conversations where his speech was much more fluid.

“Um. Well, this morning Leviathan and I marathoned the first season of The Tale of the Seven Lords; and Belphie joined us….”

You’re interrupted by Levi “Woah, yeah! He even brought us lunch from Hell’s Kitchen, it was _awesome_! He’s never done that before, he even stayed awake” Lucifer’s eyes narrow on hearing this, and he glances over at Belphie.

Now that the eldest has released you from his steely gaze, you manage to glance at your demon. The little shit is radiating smugness from every pore, and you wonder if he _always_ is this rebellious, or if he just has a death wish. He grins down at you. “Well maybe I didn’t sleep but _someone_ certainly did…”

“L-O-L-O-L, it’s not often you see someone sleeping on Belphie and him being awake!” Levi adds. “I even have photos!!”

As Mammon and Asmo start pestering Levi to see them, Lucifer pins you back in place with his eyes. “Are you unwell? Belphegor is seeing to your needs properly, I hope?”

The slight note concern in his voice surprises you a little. “I didn’t sleep well, that’s all. I’m not sure of the reason for it. Perhaps it’s just the sudden change of scenery, as it were”

He nods slowly and looks like he’s going to say more but is distracted by the entrance of Beel. “You’re late” he barks at him.

Poor Beel looks sad and guilty. “Sorry, Lucifer. Training ran over” Belphie looks at his twin and smiles softly at his little lie.

“Try not to make it a habit” Lucifer replies. With no further ado he summons the little hoard of demons, and they start bringing in covered dishes; luckily for them, Beel is at the very far end of the table and unable to attempt to grab the plates as they come through. Everyone has their own plate today, and the side board is also full of dishes to help yourself from should you desire it; though you know who’s stomach most of that will end up in as Beel sits, eyes wide as saucers looking at the display. His own huge…. _platter_ needs six little demons to bring it in.

You thank the little demon who places a plate in front of you, and it chatters happily at the appreciation; the rest of them appear to be ignored completely by the brothers. Belphie lifts the lid off the plate for you before you have the chance. “It’s safe” he states, smiling at you. “A sweet curry – Asmo, you were on cooking duty?”

Asmo turns his head to him and away from his own reflection in the mirror. “Mmm yes, darlings. It’s a sweet curry, as sweet as me!” _Oh no_ , you think to yourself. _This is going to be sickly sweet…_

Belphie grins. “Do we have any Seventh Ring Chilli around? _Mon petit chou_ likes spicy food”.

Mammon, who had taken a sip of his drink, chokes at the term of endearment. “On it” says Mammon, hastily leaving the table still coughing.

You raise an eyebrow at Belphie. “Do I want the translation to that particular little…” his grin becomes more mischievous “Nope, forget it – I can see ignorance is bliss”

The second born returns with a dish of chilli, dumping roughly half in his own meal before attempting to pass it over to you unsuccessfully, as your demon intercepts it. “These score quite high on the Scoville scale for heat. While you’re pretty good with spicy food, you’ll only need a little” So saying, he puts a small amount on your food then adds a little salt. “Best mix it through well”

After mixing well you taste the food – while it’s very sweet, the heat from the peppers brings enough savory to the dish for it to be palatable, and your demon has added just the right for you. He’s eating it sans any alteration, watching your reaction and smiles warmly at your pleased expression.

Asmo has decided that there’s a more interesting show going on in front of him than watching his own expressions in the mirror, unfortunately. “Well. I see the lovebirds here are still going strong. Belphie, I swear you are getting more enamoured with our resident mortal by the minute.” He grins lasciviously at you. “My little sweet cheeks, please do tell us what your secret is for him to be wrapped around your little finger… my, perhaps it’s _what_ is wrapped around your little finger…?”

You blush at the insinuation, and Levi starts to cough and blush across the table. “ _Asmo, not here_ ” Lucifer growls.

“But _Luci…_ don’t you find it _fascinating_ that he is so… _attached_ to any being that isn’t Beel?? I find it endlessly intriguing. They must be _wonderful_ in bed…..”

“Yes” interrupts your demon, and you look at him, eyes wide with shock before he continues “They are a wonderful Pillow. But I’ve told you that before, I’m certain”

“Now you know I didn’t mean…” Asmo doesn’t get any further before Lucifer roars “ _ASMODEUS_!!!!”

The silence is deafening. You are too embarrassed to look up from your meal, and you sit in silence attempting to consume it even though it’s now like eating cardboard. After some long minutes of silence, Satan gently nudges you with his elbow. “If you are not otherwise engaged, I would like some of your time tomorrow afternoon for a discussion. My last class is at Midday, I’ll bring lunch for us if it’s convenient?”

You smile at the blonde, knowing that he’s trying to book in the magical testing and relieved at the genteel attempt to break the terse atmosphere. “Satan, it would be a pleasure and an honour. I’ll be happy to spend the afternoon with you.”

“Oy human. What about me??” Mammon blusters at you. “I want a turn too!! An’ I’m more important, doncha forget it!”

Belphie interjects, thankfully. “You’ll have some time at the day spa the day after, so stop your sulking”

“But not on my own…. I… err….” He trails off under the heated glare that Belphie is giving him. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. It’s not like I need to spend time with some smelly human anyway”

“They don’t smell” Asmo is offended. “I have gifted them with many beautiful fragrances and lotions, and they smell _divine_ … Ooooh! That reminds me, I have a samples of bath products that are simply _lush!!!_ Darling, I _know_ you will love them, you _must_ try them and give me your report! Can I give you some to try tonight?”

The thought of soaking the concerns of the last few days away in a steaming bath of water is unbearably blissful, and you’re unable to hide the pleasure in your voice. “Asmo, you must be an angel in disguise. I’d be more than happy to test them for you, and tonight too if my owner agrees!”

Belphie is smiling warmly at your excitement. “I will be needing to sleep when we get in. As long as you don’t take too long… you know my sleep is better when you’re with me”

“Deal” you smile at him, face glowing with pleasure.

“Perhaps I can join you” Asmo purrs. “I’m definitely no angel in disguise, but I can take you to heaven, my little vixen”

“ _NO_ ” Belphie growls. Asmo’s tormenting has finally pushed him to boiling point, demonic aura thickening the atmosphere around him.

And you’ve had enough of this session’s bickering. “ _Belphegor._ Enough.” He looks at you, still furious but surprise written on his features. “It’s not happening, he won’t be joining me. Calm down. And as for _you_ , Asmodeus” you glare at him “I swear on all that is holy and evil both, if you don’t stop inciting my demon I will find a way to make your skin break out in your sleep”

Satan snickers. “I’ll be more than happy to assist you with methods”

“Noooooo not my beautiful skin!!!” Asmo wails. “Why would you even _threaten_ that! You’re so _cruel_!!!”

“Because you’re deliberately inciting Belphie, and you’re trying my patience.” you say flatly.

You can feel the heavy atmosphere around your demon dissipating, and you glance at him – he’s smirking. _Crisis averted for now_ you sigh inwardly. “And you – wipe that smirk off your face until you can hold your temper, sloth man” He doesn’t answer, nor does he stop grinning, just turns to the remainder of his meal.

“I’m sorry my little pickle” Asmo says quietly. “It was intentional and uncalled for, I will stop” He looks remorseful and he’s actually frowning, the crease in his forehead visible.

“Thank you, Asmo. I’m sorry I lost my temper. Now stop frowning or you’ll get wrinkles”

Thankfully the rest of the dinner is quiet. Satan gives you a mischievous grin before turning his conversation to Lucifer; the latter is looking at you with a considering look on his face, which frankly is just as chilling as the laser glare he had earlier. Appetite now completely lost, you hand your plate to Beel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, whilst fixing my lunch (which, because my medication and body like to pack on weight if not careful, was my favourite weird low-carb combo of Buddha bowl salad and scrambled eggs - don't judge it till ya try it lol) I had a bit of a mental discussion with our dear Belphie
> 
> Author (hereinafter referred to as "A") - You gotta chill out, dude. You're going to freak out the protag, they have known you what, three, four days?  
> Belphie (hereinafter referred to as "B") - What do you mean?  
> A - You're talking marriage already. That's just scary!  
> B - But don't you believe in love at first sight?  
> A - Yeah, but not everyone suffers from that affliction. I can feel that the protag doesn't. You're going to have to convince them.  
> B - But I love them already!  
> A - Are you sure? Because it just seems too damned fast... I'd run for the hills!  
> B - *whispers* They will be mine... you'll see...  
> A - I heard that *glares*
> 
> I have a bad feeling that there's no talking sense into him *facepalm*
> 
> Edit to add - "Mon Petit Chou" - my little cabbage O_O


	33. A Sweet Issue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly, just dessert shenanigans.

The plates are cleared away by the army of tiny demons, and the desserts brought in and placed on the side table to be chosen at leisure by the diners. Beel sits, looking forlorn as everyone moves to the table except him, and you as you really do not mind skipping it after the chaos from the main meal. You smile at the big demon – the only one who has kept quiet throughout the meal, mostly because his mouth was stuffed full of food, you surmise. “Are you waiting till last?”

“Yes” he says sadly. “I have to. I take too much otherwise, and it’s not fair on everyone. I don’t mean to, but I can’t stop myself”

“Oh honey, don’t be hard on yourself” you say consolingly. “The fact that you’re waiting so patiently is a testament that you love your family. You’re doing your best; I can see it”

He looks at you, a small smile on his lips. “Thank you. It’s just so _hard_ ”

The rest of the brothers trickle back to the table, Asmo last of all because he can’t choose between two sickly sweet sugary desserts, and the big demon moves to take his turn at the dessert table. Belphie, for his part, has returned with a plate full of various small serves of different desserts, and you chuckle. “Getting cranky make you hungrier, did it?”

He smiles. “No. We’re sharing. I didn’t know what you might prefer when it came to this kind of thing, at least not yet. I have your savory down, to a point. Let’s test what you like, shall we?” He holds a forkful of something out for you to try, and you level a glare at him.

“You are NOT feeding me here at the table.”

“Oh, come on. Just do it” He’s smirking, obviously enjoying your reaction.

“I _refuse_ to do this in front of all of your brothers. Either hand me the fork, or eat it yourself”

Asmo is snickering across from you, and you flush a little from embarrassment. Mammon looks like he wants to interject but glances sideways at Lucifer; he’s been somewhat quiet since he arrived, sneaking glances at the eldest the whole while – you figure it must be due to his activities in the potion room, you must pry what happened out of someone eventually. Probably him. Satan is quietly laughing behind you. You are not game to look at anyone else right now for their reactions, what you are aware of is bad enough.

Lucifer, however, decides to be your devil in shining armour. “Belphie, that’s enough. If you want to act in this manner, take it to the privacy of your room” Your demon sighs heavily, and hands you the fork. You put the morsel in your mouth; it’s bitter, with a slightly musky flavour with some added sugar to bring it into the realm of dessert. You crinkle your nose. “I don’t know about that one, Belphie. It might be an acquired taste”

“Probably” he grins at you and takes a bite of the same dessert himself using the same fork… the whole time making eye contact with a snickering Asmo. “Oooh look at _that_ , it’s like he’s kissing them by proxy at the table. How _utterly delightful_!!”

“Ok that’s _enough_ , you two” you say sharply, wondering when the _hell_ this pair decided to flick the switch and team up after the chaos of a moment ago. “I really _don’t_ feel like any more dessert now”

The smooth little shit sitting next to you doesn’t miss a beat, his infamous shit-eating grin plastered over his features. “We’ll take it to the bedroom then” You just close your eyes and groan as Asmo giggles; the only thing you are grateful for is the fact neither of them add any further comment.

Thankfully for your nerves, the meal wraps up not too long after this, Levi excusing himself first for some fandom ceremony or other for his waifu, followed by almost all the other brothers. Beel is of course still engaged heavily with the leftovers and the Little D’s are busy tidying up whatever may be left of the crockery and cutlery. Mammon lingers until it’s just the four of you, choosing to saunter out of the room the long way round the table, leaning over and speaking in your ear as he passes “Chat to ya later, human. Don’t let Asmo get to ya” earning a pointed look from your demon and a smile from you.

Belphie collects the plate and fork, much to his twin’s disappointment, and stands next to your chair. “Come along. We need to get back to the room”

“I refuse to let you feed me there if that’s what you’re thinking… just for clarity”

He grins. “If you say so… we’ll see about that. Come on. I need to prepare for tonight’s mission”

Sighing in resignation, you push your chair back and stand, returning it to the table neatly. Belphie grabs hold of your hand, once again lacing his long, pale digits through your own. He pulls your hand up and kisses it lightly. “See you in the room, Beel. Unless I’m asleep”

You’re thankful that Beel’s back is turned, and he wasn’t party to the interaction. He mumbles… something with the word “soon” in it with his mouth full of who only knows what; Belphie pulls you out of the room.

As you traverse the halls back to the bedroom, you find Asmo waiting in the doorway to his room. “Oooh there you are my little Muppets! Come - choose something for your bath. You too Belphie, the scent has to be pleasant for you to sleep with” he winks at your demon and drags you both into his room. Spread over his vanity are a vast array of products – salts, bombs, bubble bath in the form of crumble and liquid, oils… it looks more like a store. He proceeds to open bottles and jars, making you smell them – and if you approve, he makes Belphie check them out. The sleepy demon is veering towards lavender blends, though they make him yawn loudly; you manage to convince him on some citrus; your knowing the restful properties of Bergamot helps your argument. Eventually, you’re permitted make your escape with a small armful of products, leaving promise to Asmo for your thoughts on said products by the end of the day tomorrow.

Belphie leads the way back to the twin’s room, and closes the door softly behind you both, the plate of desserts that you’re cursing with every fibre of your being still firmly in his grasp. You really had hoped that he’d accidentally leave it in Asmo’s room, but no such luck. He sits on the edge of the bed, plate on his lap. “Now come here so we can continue our testing”

You sigh. “Belphie, I really am not comfortable with you feeding me. It’s embarrassing and demoralising”

He looks surprised. “What do you mean? I thought you humans consider it romantic?”

“I’m sure some do. I just am not that kind of romantic. It’s just…” you pause looking for the right wording. “Oh I don’t know. It’s not my thing at all. It feels anything but genuine, it feels forced….” you trail off. Putting your thoughts on these things into words is never easy.

He frowns. “Forced? You mean… like I’m faking the way I feel?”

“No, I’m talking about forced romance. All hearts and flowers and teddies and… this…” you motion towards the plate. “In my experience, this may last a while and taper off. So yeah, fake effort. Don’t do fake with me, Sloth man. Just show me who you are”

“You might not like who I am”

“Why? Is what you have shown me so far a fake version of who you are?”

He looks at you. “No” he says quietly. “It’s real”

You sigh in exasperation. “Well what’s the problem then? We have been over this before. Just don’t hide who you are from me, and we’ll get along just fine”

He studies your face quietly for a long moment. “I’m a demon. We are not all rainbows and butterflies. All of us here have done some pretty… macabre things in our time, myself included. I’m no angel”

“I know that.” You answer quietly. “I’m sure there’s things I don’t need to know that you are responsible for. Keep them secret if you must. All I ask is that you don’t hold me at arm’s length. Let me know who you are. That’s kind of the bare minimum for my friendship anyway”

He looks down at his lap. “Friends. Ouch”

You just laugh quietly at him. “Seriously, you’ll be friend zoned with me before you get anywhere further. Besides, I’ve known you only a handful of days – you’ll need to acquire some patience” You stretch your arms overhead, feeling the joints pop. “Well. I should run that bath if I’m going to have it. Are you going to attempt sleep?”

“Mmm yeah, I guess. I can’t convince you to eat these with me first?” He looks so disappointed; your heart softens a little.

“How about we eat them together, but you don’t feed me, and I run the bath while we do it?” you compromise.

“Ok. That will work” he brightens slightly, and yawns. “Get the water running quickly, because I’m starting to struggle here”

You grin at him, and hurry into the spacious bathroom. You only turn on the ambient lighting and start a slow stream of water to fill the spacious tub – it’s big but considering Beel’s size you figure it would have to be. You choose a blend of scents ensuring that you are a bit heavier on the lavender tonight, so your demon can sleep well. “Are you done?” he calls from the other room.

“Yeah, yeah… coming…” you call back, hastening back to the room. He’s propped himself up with a number of pillows (including yours, you’ll have to steal that back later) and looks like he’s about to fade at any second.

“Can I at least sit next to you?” he asks, not looking at you, a slight hint of pink dusting his cheeks.

“Of course, silly!” you slide next to him, and lean on him. “Now come on, or I’ll end up with water everywhere – and if that happens, you’re helping to fix it”

He smiles and halves the first dessert with the fork, then takes the first bite of something that looks like it’s 99% sugar before spearing the other half with the fork and offering it to you. It’s so sweet that it puts your teeth on edge. “Do I still have teeth, or did they just rot out?”

He laughs. “They’re there. Not to your taste then. Shame, I quite like it”

“That’s because you’re not sweet enough, but I am” your cheeky comment earns you a gentle, playful shove.

Continuing in this manner, you find a handful of desserts that you like; the clear winners are one that is similar to a chocolate cake, light and fluffy but retaining the bittersweet taste of dark chocolate, and another that reminds you of cheesecake, if they had a luminous blue tinge, with a slightly tart fruit sauce cutting through the sweetness of the filling. Belphie is amused at your reactions at the ones you don’t like and laughs heartily when one is so sour you scrunch your face up. Plate empty, you smile at him. “I’d best go for my bath. You look like you’re about to fall asleep sitting up”

“Wouldn’t be the first time” he smiles, eyes half open. “Don’t take too long. And don’t be frightened of disturbing me, if your careful it’ll be fine. I need you to cuddle me tonight, so that I don’t disturb too much.”

“As you command, captain” you grin at him then ruffle his hair. “Sleep well”

“I shan’t for the first bit. But I’ll try to sleep better after the mission” He scoots down to lay in the bed, directing his gaze at you. “Same to you. Hurry back” He closes his eyes, and you leave quickly to ensure that you’re not unintentionally giving the floor a bath instead of yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late chapter is late. I've had an odd kind of day. Oh who am I kidding, most of my days end up with some form of oddity lol. 
> 
> Hopefully our Protagonist has talked a little sense into Belphie, but we shall see. He's stubborn. He keeps fighting back lol. Still, he's devious enough to form a counter attack... -_-


	34. Submersion and Rumination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our poor protagonist gets a bit of time to collect their thoughts, and a little time to bond with Beel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's almost a need to warn about spoilers, but it's more about what happened earlier in this non-cannon. So I don't think it is one. Please correct me if I'm wrong! :)

You sink into the blissfully warm water, the scent of lavender enveloping your senses as you start to relax muscles that you didn’t even know were tense. There’s never been a time in your life that you can remember that has been so hectic or downright… _weird_ , is the only word for it. You close your eyes with a sigh and let your thoughts clear; they start to drift and wander, as they always do when you have time to soak properly.

What is it with Belphie? You don’t understand how someone… hold on, demon, should that be something?... could be so attached to another being in such a tiny breath of time. Is it attachment, or just a possessive obsession? The affection he’s showing _seems_ genuine, even if some of his other actions are obviously manufactured “romance” - but will that last? It often doesn’t for humans, are demons different?

 _“friends? Ouch”…_ your mind is brought to the comment of only a short while ago. Is he _serious_ in thinking that you can be more? How does it work with a Demon anyway? And if you don’t share his feelings, then what will be your fate?

Love is never an easy find for you. Admittedly, Belphie has many of the qualities you find immensely attractive – he’s intelligent, passionate and has done nothing except make you feel wanted in his life. It’s enough to make you feel like lowering your guard around him. Caution won’t allow that to happen in a hurry, but even so, it’s faster than you would have anticipated - _if_ you could have anticipated this, in some sort of weird drug-fuelled psychotic episode.

All these thoughts are giving you a headache. You slip chin deep into the massive tub, hanging your feet over the side to drip water on the floor, and lean your head back on the edge looking up at the ceiling for a sign which just doesn’t appear.

And then the contract/pact thing. A Pact seems practical and makes _sense,_ for your safety and what appears to be his peace of mind. So why even consider the Soul Contract? What in _hell_ could be in it for him, and why would he want to be tied to some Human for so long? It beggars belief, and you find yourself shaking your head at the notion. He is an argumentative little dear though, so you aren’t sure how to possibly win the debate on this subject. Perhaps you can dig some ammunition from Satan’s knowledge that you can use – or worst-case scenario, gain some sort of information to justify going to what seems to be such extreme lengths.

 _“...Are… are you against being tied to me?”_ Belphie’s hesitant, almost bashful words when questioning you about your feelings about the Soul Contract had taken you back a bit at the time, and they still feel odd especially after just days of acquaintance. Why would he care what you think anyway… it’s not like there’s any choice in your being here. For the first time, you consider escape – though no ideas come to mind; how would one escape a demon lord, or just the Devildom for that matter?

_“….a selflessness towards them which of course is not generally associated with demons in that they must care deeply for their human’s wants, needs and well-being.”_

_“…it appears to be quite a private matter when one comes into effect… it seems it's probably the closest thing to a marriage between a demon and a human…”_

Satan’s paraphrased words float across your mind, and you ponder them. He stated there was a _chance_ it would work. He obviously sees something you don’t, so perhaps the affection is genuine? Still. “Marriage” to a Demon? What the actual….!! Briefly, you wonder what on earth you did in your last lifetime to bring about such a completely bizarre situation.

The water cools. The worst part of having a bath is finding the motivation to leave it, but you groan and stand, towelling yourself off on the lush purple towel that Belphie has provided for your use and slipping on your pyjamas. You go over your skincare routine as fast as possible, then check your DDD; you’ve been in here a little over an hour and a half - time flies in the tub. There’s a number of notifications from the group chat, mostly Mammon being stirred about the incident earlier, it appears he dropped one of the potions and _that_ is how he was caught, turning another student into some sort of very rare lizard/frog combination that could only be spawned in Hell; smiling, you choose to keep out of this, leaving them to it.

And Levi has uploaded the damned photo of you sleeping on Belphie to Devilgram, tagging both of you in it. You _do_ comment on that – making your displeasure crystal clear. Dammit, your mouth is open, you look like a carnival clown!

Exiting the bathroom which is still hazy from the steam of the bathwater, you find Belphie flat on his back on the near side of the bed, arm extended towards the wall. _At least it will be easy to slip into the bed and hold him like he requested_ , you muse. Beel is back in the room studying whilst lying on his stomach, a mountain of snacks on a plate to his left and books and papers strewn over the rest of the area before him. He glances up at you, smiling briefly, and returns to his study. “He’s restless. Are you going to join him? You bring him comfort”

“Yes, he’s asked me to join him. Don’t really want to disturb him though, especially tonight with him being busy… he said I won’t but still…”

He gives a low chuckle. “You won’t. When he’s sleeping light like this, just go carefully. When he’s in a deep sleep though, I’ve seen him sleep through earthquakes”

Rounding the bed to the far side, you gingerly move the covers enough to slip in, then move ever so slowly to your demon’s side. As you put your arm across him, he makes a sleepy sound of approval and pulls you against him; you lie stone still for a moment to be sure you’ve not woken him, but his breathing evens out quickly and you relax.

For some time, you lie awake holding the Lord of the Underworld you’re tied to; the only sounds his steady breathing and slow heart rate against your ear, and Beel’s shuffling of papers and occasional crunching on one of his treats. Eventually, Beel lets out a small groan, and begins to collect the papers.

“You ok?” he asks, glancing over to you as he tidies up.

“Yes, quite comfortable. He seems to be deep in sleep now, and the grip is not too tight” you smile at him over the top of his snoring sibling.

“I didn’t mean that”

You sigh. “I know… Yes. I am ok. There’s not been a repeat of the other night. If anything, he’s been quite full on with affection since”

Beel chuckles. “Yeah he will be, when he’s genuinely sorry.”

“I wish he’d quit the teen novel romance stuff though” you laugh ruefully.

“He’s just trying to be sweet”

You wrinkle your nose. “It’s overkill”

Beel sits on the edge of the bed and looks at you, grinning. “It’s all or nothing with him. You’re lucky, you’re getting all, most get nothing. He likes you, so if you don’t like it he will probably listen. Eventually”

“I damned hope so.” You pause. You want to ask him, but don’t want to make him uncomfortable. “Beel… umm…”

His smile becomes softer. “You can ask me anything, it’s ok”

“OK” you take a deep, centring breath. “About this Soul Contract thing. I just want your thoughts on it, if you are comfortable answering that is”

“Hmmm” he looks at you, serious look replacing his award-winning smile. “Well. It’s a big decision. It’s a huge commitment for both of you. I’ll support you both, no matter which way you choose”

There’s a pause, and you both study each other. “Beel, I… ummm… I don’t understand why Belphie is even considering it. I was thinking, the Pact seems so much more practical. So why even test for the other…” you trail off, unable to continue.

He considers you, and the unspoken question for a moment. “As I said, he’s all or nothing. He has decided he wants you around, and he’ll want you around for good” he starts slowly. “I know how hard he took the exchange student not wanting to be around him. I…” he pauses. “I think… I’m fairly sure… he feels much more strongly for you than them.”

“Impossible…. it’s been a few days….!!!”

He chuckles. “Yes, well that’s our Belphie. All or nothing. If he wants something, his heart is in it completely”

“So…” you pause, trying to find the way to ask. Beel just smiles and finishes, able to read your thoughts. “… yes. If he’s not already in love with you, he’s at least halfway there” He studies your reaction – which is a mix of confusion and shock, there’s no way you can hide this. “How do you feel about him?”

“Well... I-I… work _slower_ than that.” His face drops slightly, so you quickly add “Please don’t misunderstand me. I like your brother as a friend, that’s a great beginning – the _only_ way to begin for me, to be honest. Attraction? Yes, I do find him attractive. His personality intrigues me. He’s quite handsome too, but that’s neither here or there – icing on the cake, as it were” Beel chuckles at you, and you continue. “But the L-word will take time and patience. How much patience does he have? Because I suspect it’s seriously little”

He smiles and chuckles at you. “You know him well already. No, he’s not patient. But if he wants something, he’ll chase it across the three realms and back, for all eternity”

You groan, loud enough that Belphie stirs for a moment, and you pause until his breathing slows. “So if he’s determined to do something I don’t want, I have to be ready for a fight, is what you’re saying….”

“Yes” he smiles. After a moment his stomach growls, and you giggle.

“After the amount you put away at dinner, I _cannot_ believe you’re still hungry” you smile at the big demon.

“I’m always worse after training” he grins back at you. “I’m going to go and raid the kitchen. You should rest”

“I will try” you smile back at him. “Thank you for answering me, Beel. Goodnight”

“You’re welcome, anytime. Good night” he strides out of the room without looking back.

You nuzzle your head into your demon’s shoulder and tighten your grip on his torso; he murmurs in his sleep and holds you even closer. His presence is calming, and it doesn’t take long for you to lose your grip on wakefulness and join him in sleep.

**~*~*~**

_You’re under an old, gnarled apple tree, looking up through the gently moving leaves at a late afternoon sky streaked with clouds, like someone had taken a dry brush with white paint to the perfect blue canvas. The air smells peaty and grassy, reminding you of the last days of summer before the autumn takes over completely._

_You sit up, and glance at a grand stone building; the peaked turrets remind you of the French Chateaus that you have always longed to visit. You wonder if anyone is home, and if you’ll be in trouble for trespassing._

_“Beautiful, isn’t it?”_

_Turning, you find your demon leaning against the trunk of the tree. “Where is this?”_

_“Bordeaux, France. This is my little place in the human world. We all have one, in whichever country we’ve been assigned as an ambassador. I chose somewhere quiet, it’s easier to sleep here. I’ll bring you here sometime, if you like?”_

_“I’d like that” you answer quietly._

_He walks over and seats himself next to you on the grass, glancing at you sideways as he puts his arm around your waist and pulls himself closer. “I hope you don’t mind this, because I don’t think I can stop myself from cuddling you”_

_“It’s fine” you grin at him._

_“Good” he smiles then leans his head on your shoulder, closing his eyes with a sigh._

_“What exactly are you doing in my dreams, anyway… Shouldn’t you be resting properly? I’m worried you’ll be tired tomorrow…”_

_He grunts but doesn’t open his eyes. “Was already going to be tired. I wanted to wind down after the little… meeting. Best way for that to happen is to spend time with you” lifting his head, he looks in your eyes with a small smile. “The only person who understood me was Beel, until now. It seems to me you do too. I’m glad you’re in my life”_

_“Well, though I wouldn’t have chosen to meet you like I have, I must say there’s no other hellspawn I’d rather be tied to” you grin at him, and he chuckles; his eyes light up and he’s obviously pleased. “How did your little mission go?”_

_“I’ll tell you tomorrow. Right now, all I want to do is sit here with you before getting some proper rest” he murmurs in your ear._

_And so, you sit together in your dreams watching the clouds move overhead until the sun sets over the horizon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Belphie tomorrow, I promise. Today, I had to let the Protag think things over a bit. Otherwise, Belphie will go full steam ahead and give 'em an anxiety attack!
> 
> I've had a few little head cannons of late... and as I type this I was thinking about what happens for me during the infamous Mercury Retrogrades. I wonder how the boys would act during MRx...? I mean, Asmo and Levi are obvious hahaha, but the other boys, not without some thought...
> 
> In other news, yes I do sit like that in the bath. Thankfully it's the kind of walk in "wet area" kind of bathroom so the water that drips on the floor doesn't need cleaning LOL


	35. How to Wake your Demon, Lesson 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belphie is as exhausted as was predicted, and not inclined to get out of bed.

As you wake, you find yourself in the exact same position that you fell asleep in. Belphie is still in a very deep slumber, snoring softly – something you have not heard him do until now. You shift around a bit to loosen up your joints which have stiffened through the night to no avail, so after a short amount of contemplation the decision is made to shift away from Belphie’s grip. Moving slowly so as not to wake the demon – you remember the dream from last night vividly, and he was extremely exhausted even there – you gently slide off his torso attempting to turn onto your back. The demonic leech of sleep, however, follows you across the bed, pulling you so you are facing him flush against his torso. “Stop moving” he slurs, half awake.

“Then stop squishing me” you say, speech muffled by his chest.

He mutters under his breath in another language – nothing you’ve ever heard – and allows you a little room so you can breathe.

“You’re going to have to get up soon, Belphie” you say quietly.

Petulantly, he replies “If you are going to say things like that then I’ll just have to hold you tighter again, so I can’t hear it”

“Well that will stop it, permanently if you don’t want me breathing”

He nuzzles his cheek against the crown of your head. “I’d regret it later, but now…”

“You’ll regret it now if you try, I’ll keep you awake” you huff at him. He chuckles to himself sleepily and gives a contented sigh. Your back is aching, but the new position is making it feel somewhat better.

It doesn’t feel like too long before the loud alarm on your exhausted owner’s DDD starts to sound; he groans but doesn’t move so you figure you’ll do it for him and start to rise. This action is impeded by Belphie’s overwhelming desire to keep you by his side in the iron grip of his arms.

“Belphegor. Either get up and turn your alarm off, or let me do it for you”

“Noooo stay here” he even sounds like he’s pouting.

You sigh in exasperation. “I don’t want to listen to that demonic foghorn alarm of yours for the next half hour. Let me go!” He just holds you tighter. “Let me go or regret it…”

Huffing at you, he asks “How exactly do you plan on making a demon regret something, Human?”

You don’t answer, you just tickle him. He jumps and writhes at your touch, and before he can regain his composure you slip out of the bed and grab the DDD, turning it off. He’s glaring at you with only one eye open. “You’ll regret that”

“Yeah, no I won’t. My ears already don’t! Now come along. I know how awful you must feel, but we need to get you up and moving”

“Don’t wanna”

You marvel for a moment at how an aeons old being can act and look so much like a petulant child. “Belphie. Get up or face the consequences, you slug”

He snorts at you. “You think tickling will get me up? There’s nothing you can do to make me move”

“No, probably not” you concede. “Lucifer is another story, so if you want to take your chances with him...”

“You WOULDN’T”

You just laugh at him as you turn your back to rummage quickly through your wardrobe. “I wouldn’t need to. You not turning up will be all the necessary action to set that in motion… so, your choice, good sir”. You make a hasty retreat for the bathroom before he can answer, slipping quickly into the shower. Your morning routine is speedy, and you’re back out quickly.

He’s still in bed. “Get up, Belphegor….”

He just groans and rolls away from you, so you’re not looking at him. You stand quietly for a moment, thinking what might motivate him. “Ok. Well. I guess I can’t make you. That’s alright, you can deal with Lucifer later”

“Don’t care” he mumbles.

“Your call. I’m going to go down to breakfast. I’m sure I’ll be ok…. I doubt Asmo will molest me at the table, though he might make me sit on his knee. Mammon isn’t likely to kidnap me and take me on a scam… probably… though that could be entertaining, maybe I’d enjoy it….”

“FINE” he growls. “You really are impossible.”

“I’m possible. I exist, therefore I’m more than a possibility. I think you mean improbable…”

He shoots you a dirty look as he heads to the bathroom, uniform in tow. While you wait, you check your DDD briefly, and the normal messages in the group chat of the brothers stirring each other. The only other thing of note is a comment on the Devilgram photograph of you sleeping on Belphie:

LordDiavolo – What is this? Why weren’t I informed about your human?

Nobody has answered this yet, and if this is as you suspect the actual future King of the Devildom that has written this, you instantly decide it’s not going to be you who answers. You think about what you’ll do today; your wardrobe is not as neat as you’d like what with your hurry to get the clothes away. You peer inside the door. It’s only half full, not that that is a huge issue because it’s large and you have plenty. _Maybe today I can organise this a bit better_ you think to yourself. The drawers could use a bit of work too…. You open and sigh at how untidy they are, then you open _that_ drawer – the one Beel dumped Asmo’s risqué gift into – and groan. That needs to look less like several tentacled creatures writhing around in… whatever the state is they are in.

“What're you doing?” comes a tired voice from behind you. “Planning on wearing something a bit… different today, are we?”

“Oh shush. No, I’m just thinking my clothes aren’t very well-organised. And this looks…. Well it looks like it belongs to Asmo for starters. I should hide this”

“You could wear it” he says. For someone who looks like they are sleepwalking this morning, he hasn’t lost his cheeky edge to his voice; he’s enjoying embarrassing you, it’s quite obvious. _Ok then, game on…._

“Welllll…” you drawl, “I suppose, if that’s what you really want…” Turning to face him, you continue “but I don’t know, it’s not really breakfast attire, is it? It’s not the sort of thing I’d normally wear out of the bedroom. Will Asmo contain himself do you think? Oh, will we give poor Levi and Mammon a heart attack….?”

“You’re not leaving the room in only that” he growls, eyes flashing angrily; you grin at him.

“Alright, you’re the boss, I shan’t wear it. Where’s Beel?” Changing the subject quickly seems the safest option.

“I… uh, early training for the upcoming game. He’ll skip breakfast” he blinks, and the anger is gone replaced by that small smirk he wears and a tired look on his face.

Today he’s managed to dress himself properly, but he looks exhausted. On a whim, you walk over to him and engulf him in a hug. You hear his surprised intake of breath, then he returns the affection. “You look completely worn out. Anything I can do?”

“Mmm. Come back to bed with me”

“No, Belphie, you know you can’t. If you hadn’t skipped out of classes yesterday, I’d tuck you in and take the brunt of Lucifer’s wrath. I mean, I may not live but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?”

His laugh stirs the hair on your head. “No, you would definitely not. Ok, we’ll go down to breakfast” he sighs heavily. “I don’t know how I’ll make it through the classes today. I’ll probably sleep through the first one and be in the same spot at the end of the day”

“Why don’t you set an alarm?”

He snorts. “It’s too loud for classes”

You worry your lower lip between your teeth for a moment. “Well… do notifications wake you?”

“Depends” he moves, so he can look down in your eyes. “Some of the notification sounds are louder than others. Yours is louder and has a high vibration, just in case you need me…”

 _Damn. I could get lost in his eyes and never find the way home_. You shake the thought from your head “What if I set _my_ alarm for, say, 5 minutes before class ends and shoot you a message to wake you?”

He smiles down at you, eyes shining. “You’d do that for me?”

“Well sure. Someone has to keep you on the straight and narrow!” you grin up at him. “Let me grab my DDD, and you can put in all the alarm times.”

“You really are an odd one” he says softly, studying your face. He brushes the hair from your face. “We will do it over breakfast. And we better go now, else I will just kidnap you and hold you to ransom in our bed all day”

You snort. “Come on then. Let’s go face the chaos”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my Good Lord Diavolo. Late chapter is late -_- have had a hectic day helping out and chasing down a particular item for the birthday of she who will hereunto be referred to as "JAOC" (Junior Agent of Chaos aka my niece. I'm the Snr LOL). The JAOC will be 13 in a few days time. I've promised I'll take her to the beach tomorrow, pending bad weather of course which should be fun for her. Offered to download an Audible book but apparently she prefers to read.
> 
> The JAOC doesn't read. Just for the record.
> 
> So this chapter is mostly fluff, and I did write a scant third of the next one so maybe I'll get the chapter up tomorrow. I know, I know... I can take a break. But. It's become habit like my yoga practice - every day. So, with luck it will happen. And if not, have a great day guys - and I'll see ya on the flip side ;)


	36. Beware, My Lord, of Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end notes, or TL:DR - sporadic updating may occur for a week or so.

Chaos. There _never_ seems to be a meal without it with the brothers, not in the short time you have been acquainted with them and every day it seems to be something different.

“Oy Human…. _HUMAN_!! There ya are! Sit here!” Mammon has decided to take the seat that Lucifer usually occupies – the eldest is nowhere to be seen - and has managed to save seats near him for you both. He’s waving both arms and shouting at you excitedly like a toddler would at their long-lost best friend. You shoot an amused smile at your demon, leading the way to the table. Beel smiles at you both over his platter of food, Satan glances up from his tome and nods, and Levi ignores everyone completely in favour of his device, obviously in a different plane with his headphones dulling the noise of the real world.

“That’s a good human. You know what’s what! How ya been, it’s been ages since ya talked to me. What ya up to today?”

“Mammon stop hogging our little cherry pit!! Darling, how was your bath? You must fill me in on your _every_ thought on the products you used! Let’s work together on the review right now - Belphie, be a doll and change seats so we can collaborate” Asmo is pouting at Belphie, attempting to look pitiful enough to get his own way.

“Absolutely not” Belphie, thankfully, keeps his temper and only gives him a flat stare. “You can do it later. My human and I have something to sort out over breakfast. Which reminds me… your DDD?” he holds out his hand for the device, which you hand over wordlessly.

Asmo, smirking, watches the exchange with interest, chin propped in his palm. “Oooh… Checking for illicit lovers are we, Belphie dearest? Or demons sliding into their direct messages?”

“No. Setting something up” he does not elaborate further as he looks down at the phone and yawns.

You study him as he sits hunched tiredly over the screen, heavy circles under his eyes. He does not look likely to move anytime soon. Turning to Mammon, who you figure may be your best bet for the task, you ask “I don’t suppose you could help me get some breakfast for sleepyhead here?”

He snorts. “ _Nobody_ makes The Mammon their servant, ‘specially a Human!”

You feign disappointment. “Oh. Ok then. I just thought you might be the best one for the job, because I need to know what Belphie likes and doesn’t like, and you’re such a great big brother to him...”

He blushes and glances away from you. “W-well… y-yeah, I am… ‘Course you want my help! You get it, I’m the best one to help with things like this! C’mon human, let’s get this over with!”

With that, he _literally_ drags you out of your seat behind him. For all his egotistical bluster, he does know what Belphie likes, pointing out several things that you load onto a plate and attempt memorise for future reference. He busies his hands filling a plate with human safe food without being asked to do it, and points out what’s safe and what’s not for humans to you as he works. Some of it is recognisable from previous breakfasts that Belphie has brought to you – the pale luminescence of the Cockatrice eggs is hard to forget – but not all of it is familiar. With so much information being thrown at you, how much will be remembered later is debatable.

“Thank you, Mammon,” you pitch your voice so only he can hear. “I really do appreciate your help. I’ll try to remember for next time, I wouldn’t want to bug you again”

“O-oh. I- um… it’s ok. If ya need help ya can ask. I mean someone’s gotta help ya” You smile up at him and wonder how often he receives praise if the poor guy blushes like a tomato after receiving some.

You place the plate before Belphie, who glances at it distractedly. “Thank you. Huh. Looks like you’re learning what I like” Placing the DDD flat on the table, he scrolls and taps with one hand, fork in the other impaling food.

Mammon places your plate in front of your seat and pinches a rasher of the Shadow Hog bacon from it. “Hey human… next week I could really use ya for this idea I got that will earn some _serious_ Grimm… I’ll cut you in on it, say…. five percent, whaddya say?”

“Five percent? You have to be kidding me!” you laugh at him. “I’m worth way more than that!”

“Who do ya think ya are talkin’ to?” You just raise an eyebrow at him and don’t answer. “Ok, maybe I can stretch it to ten percent…”

“Oh sweetie. Offer too low. No deal”

“Waddya take me for, a bank?!?” he blusters at you.

“A moron, maybe” Satan quietly states with an amused smile on his face, earning a dirty look from the second born and a chuckle from your demon.

“I take you as someone attempting to quite possibly put my wellbeing on the line for one of your dubious schemes. Fifty-fifty, or no deal” You quirk your lips at the scruffy white-haired brother.

“Ugh. Fifteen percent.”

“Fourty-five”

He chokes, and blusters “You’re killing me. Stop it! Twenty!”

You look at him with calm amusement. “Fourty”

Sputtering at your calm demeanour, he raises his voice. “You play _dirty_ for a human! Twenty five percent. Final offer” you don’t answer, and he adds “I mean it, I ain’t going higher”

“Alright then. Agreed; but only on the proviso that it’s not too dangerous for me. I need the details, Greed man” you give him a winning smile, and he sputters again for a completely different reason – you’re not sure if it’s your quick acceptance or the smile; probably both. _It’s just so easy to fluster him_ , you think to yourself with amusement.

“Mammon. If you so much as harm a _hair_ on my human…” Belphie is unamused by the agreement, the air pressure dropping slightly around him. You surreptitiously move your other onto his knee to rub calming circles with your thumb, attempting to calm him. He looks at you with a start, and blushes pink at your touch.

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t hurt ‘em. I’ll return ‘em the same. Better even. Gotta be better after spendin’ time with The Great Mammon. I’ll shoot ya both the details”

You grin at your demon, then turn to give Mammon your attention. Belphie, momentarily distracted from your device by your actions, leans over and murmurs in your ear “Are you messing with me?”

Ignoring Belphie, you choose to answer Mammon instead. “No problem. Looking forward to seeing what chaos you plan on getting me into!”

Belphie, with no Lucifer to tell him to behave this morning, moves his chair against yours then drapes his arm around your shoulders and pulls you flush against him. “Don’t ignore me. What’s your game?” Asmo is watching the show with interest as your demon breathes in your ear, a knowing glint in his eye as his eyes track the angle of your arm.

Tilting your head so you can look at him out of the corner of your eye, you smirk and say quietly “There isn’t one” You’re tempted to move your hand upward a bit just to see if he falls off his chair.

“You know, two can play at these games” he replies. He’s so close to your ear that you can feel the movement of his lips on the shell.

“I’m sure” you reply and remove your hand from his knee. Your demon gives a disappointed sigh but doesn’t unglue himself from you. After a while you fidget uncomfortably at the lack of personal space.

“Stop wriggling” Belphie grumps at you and squeezes you a little tighter for emphasis.

“Why? Is it hurting you?”

“No, but it’s distracting”

“So... You’re admitting in front of _everyone_ that I’m a distraction? Interesting” Asmo snickers; you can’t look at him, but unfortunately looking at Satan instead only means you get to see his smirk at the entertainment you’re obviously providing him.

He chooses not to answer your question, instead handing your device back. “Done. I expect you to keep your word.”

“My word is my bond, oh sleepy one”

He snorts, and it moves your hair. “Prove it”

Laughing, you say “If you want to play that game, there’s a few things you’ve said that I could ask you to prove, oh Master of mine…”

Mammon chokes. “I-I gotta go…” and at that, he shifts his chair back with a squeal on the floor and almost _runs_ out the door.

Satan is smirking at you but he also rises, showing a lot more decorum than his brother. “I shall take my leave. Don’t forget our tryst later, my dear” he nods at you with slight smile as he leaves. Levi curses under his breath, obviously losing a life, and without looking at or acknowledging anyone individually says “Gotta go, L-8-R”.

Asmo is still watching you and your demon. “My little sweetling, you must promise to message me your thoughts as soon as you’re finished with breakfast, I _need_ your imput! And… if you wish to share what’s happening with your… paramour… I’m sure I can give you _plenty_ of advice” the lusty horror winks lasciviously at you.

“I can promise you my thoughts on the products, but nothing more” you say to him, and though he makes a disappointed sound, he’s chuckling on the way out the door.

Beel takes another minute, inhaling the rest of what is left on all the plates with the speed of a vacuum. Rising, he gives both you and Belphie a group bear hug. “Talk later, need to hear about last night” he says in his baritone and strides out the door.

Belphie is just sitting, staring at you intently. After some long, uncomfortable moments you can’t take it anymore and ask “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“Are you sure you want me to go today? I’m not sure I should. Holding you hostage is becoming more appealing by the moment”

You can’t help the small flush that appears on your face; you tell yourself it’s from his staring. “No, you definitely need to go. You know this”

He hums thoughtfully. “Or I could cuddle you all day in bed. Though, I am thinking of… other ways we could keep entertained”

“I’m not really into Monopoly”

“Neither am I” his scrutiny is way too intense, and you look away from him. “I should go before I can’t make myself leave. Enjoy your… _tryst_ … with Satan”

You glance back at him sharply. He’s smirking, but his eyes are angry. “Tryst? It’s only testing” you snort. “Doubt it will be fun”

“Mmm. Well. Think of me while you’re with him”

“I always do, you jealous little turd”

Snorting, he gathers you against him again and speaks softly near your ear “As it should be. I want to be the first thing you think of in the morning, and the last thing you think of at night”

“So… you’re not denying your jealous, then?”

“What if I am? What if I did want you all to myself?” There’s no answer to this that you can think of, so you hold your tongue. He continues “Know this though. It’s… _dangerous_ to toy with the affections of a demon. You best not think you can play with mine without consequences” Without warning, he turns your face with his fingers and presses his lips against yours. Though it lasts all of a few seconds he successfully imbues it with all the passion, jealousy and pain he is feeling. “I will see you this evening.” With that, he leaves, glancing back from the doorway at you once with a regretful smile.

You breathe in. _That was… unexpected_ you think to yourself. Rubbing your fingers on your temples, you watch the little D’s commence their clean-up operation as you gather your shocked wits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies, Gentlemen and those who do not identify as either! I apologise. Yesterday I was roped into using most of my spoons for something else. Unfortunately my body is reacting to the week that was - I've pushed myself too hard, what's new lol - and the sudden cold snap. So, I'm in a full Fibromyalgia flare. Thinking is hard at the moment - it's known as "Fibro Fog" - so yesterday I did almost finish this chapter then I stared at the screen without computing for about half an hour before giving up in frustration. And I am burning from the waist down to boot, always fun.
> 
> Spoons, you ask? I can't think to explain the spoon theory properly but I'll try; think of being given "x" amount of spoons, and once they are gone you can't force yourself to do more. Or on occasion if you actually can manage it, it makes the next day worse. I hope that makes sense.
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to keep up with my normal daily posting, but if I disappear, it's either a) I am having issues thinking my way out of a paper bag, will be likely back the next day or b) I'm in a dreaded double flare. This is where the Trigeminal Neuralgia decides to come to party with the Fibro. I'll often go AWOL from all social media when this happens for more extended periods. 
> 
> Belphie is not behaving for me either. I may need to put him on a leash.


	37. Busy Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Protagonist kills some time whilst waiting for the afternoon meeting.

Contemplating the clothes in your spacious wardrobe rather than overthinking current events, you wonder how you should organise them. Should you go by sleeve then leg length? Colour? Both?

 _Both,_ you decide and start to remove the hangers from the wardrobe, laying them on your bed to be sorted. _At least there will be some order in the chaos around me_. As you place the last item back in the wardrobe you smile contentedly – if nothing else, it looks pleasing to your eye now.

The drawers take a little longer. As you re-fold the items neatly, you realise that they won’t stay that way for long - but at least it is keeping your hands busy. The only drawer that causes concern is _that_ drawer – the one full of Asmo’s lingerie. Scraps of lace, would be a better description… this is the first time you’ve touched them as you untangle the garter straps from the knickers that open in a lewd manner and match up the sets accordingly. You have to admit it’s excellent quality – all of the items in your wardrobe are – but this is sinfully soft, even if some of it is practically non-existent, and it’s tempting to try them on; after the morning with your tired, grumpy and jealously amorous demon, you figure you’ve probably had enough excitement for now.

Job complete, you sigh in satisfaction and stretch your shoulders. You really only lack workout gear; though you can probably work out in your pyjamas, so long as they are stretchy you can always get away with them if you were to practice yoga in the privacy of your room. _I wonder if I can get stuff brought here from the Human World_ you wonder. Swimwear too, is one thing you lack; however, you wonder if it would be even safe for a human to swim in Hell. Your eyes travel back to the Draw of Inappropriate Underwear. You’re _not_ sure asking Asmo to help with any of it is a great idea… of course, he’d love to take you shopping, but thanks to _this_ little surprise, you wonder if you trust him.

Thinking of Asmo reminds you of your promise. You fish out your DDD and the lock screen is reminding you that there’s an upcoming alarm to message Belphie in a short while. Well… sort of: This one’s titled “Wake your Demon, because you love him”. You shake your head in amusement and wonder what else he’s put in there.

Whilst waiting on this unfortunately titled alarm, you open Asmo’s chat thread and send a missive extolling the virtues of the products you used last night, ensuring to keep it as concise as possible. Obviously, he isn’t paying any attention in class, as you can see that he has seen it immediately you've sent it.

Belphie’s alarm goes off, and it’s at this point you discover that he’s also set a song as the alarm tone… you don’t recognise it at all, but the lyrics are saying something about needing to message someone because you can’t resist them or some other such blather. Laughing at his obvious attempt to get under your skin, you shut it off and open the messaging app – it does take longer than expected to find him, because the sneaky bugger has also changed his name in your contacts to “CuddleBuddy”.

{PillO CuddleBuddy, huh…}

{PillO You are never touching my phone again, Sloth Child. Next time I’ll do it myself}

{CuddleBuddy Why? Aren’t we cuddle buddies? It’s not like it was FriendWithBenefits…}

{PillO Yeah. I’m glad that you resisted that, Asmo would have had a field day}

_CuddleBuddy has changed the name of the chat to “FWB”_

{PillO Change the name of the chat, please, I don’t approve the current one}

{PillO Actually… Never mind, just get to your next class}

_CuddleBuddy has changed the name of the chat to “My #1 Lover”_

You glare at the screen. For someone so tired this morning, he obviously has plenty of obnoxious energy left to spread around. You find the chat settings, looking for the option to change the chat name yourself to something that’s less embarrassing.

_PillO has changed the name of the chat thread to “Main Squeeze”_

In the meantime, Asmo has been busy blowing up your phone with messages, thanking you for your help then asking so many questions that you don’t know where to start. To amuse yourself, you decide to give his chat a name too.

_PillO has changed the name of the chat thread to “The Fast and The Curious”_

{PillO My, you do ask a lot of questions…}

{AsmoBaby Oooh! Why _that_ name? Which of us is which…?}

{PillO I’ll leave that to your imagination…. Just know you aren’t likely to find out!}

{AsmoBaby No fair!!! Sweetling, you _must_ tell me, don’t leave me hanging!}

{PillO You’re not into rope play? Nice to know}

{AsmoBaby Pumpkin, why don’t you come to my room later and find out…}

{PillO I don’t think so. You know the rules, hands to self}

{AsmoBaby What your owner doesn’t know won’t hurt him…}

{PillO No deal, loverboy!}

{AsmoBaby Awww. You’re no fun}

{AsmoBaby So…}

{AsmoBaby You and Belphie seem _cozy_.}

{AsmoBaby Spill the beans! I want all the racy details}

{AsmoBaby And I do mean _all_ of them}

{AsmoBaby I’m sure you’ve got him on his knees begging…}

{PillO NO!!!}

{PillO We cuddle. That’s it!}

{AsmoBaby Whaaaaat? You can’t be serious! I’ve seen the way he looks at you!!!}

{AsmoBaby There’s no way you can’t be playing hide the salami!}

{PillO Asmodeus. We have what I would suspect is a normal pet-owner relationship.}

{PillO There’s nothing untoward.}

{PillO And Dude! Crude much. I thought you’d be better than that.}

{PillO NOT a challenge.}

{AsmoBaby I’m always available to... _rise_ to the challenge, my dear}

{AsmoBaby Want me to prove it?}

{PillO Ugh. Thanks, but no thanks.}

{AsmoBaby Your loss, my little Koala}

{AsmoBaby Back to the subject… he can’t keep his hands off you, love.}

{AsmoBaby He’s also been more lucid around you than I’ve seen him in centuries.}

{AsmoBaby _Gasp_ … darling!! Could you have stolen his heart?}

{AsmoBaby Oh my. There’s something I never thought I’d see!}

You groan out loud. Texting this stuff is worse than chatting one on one about it

{PillO Stop.}

{PillO I will not discuss this via text, if at all}

{PillO And, I highly doubt that the Sloth Lord of Hell would have any significant feelings for a human that was pretty much _literally_ chucked at him by some other random humans.}

{AsmoBaby But… please, we have to discuss this!!}

{PillO I mean it. Last warning. Don’t make me block your number}

{AsmoBaby You don’t mean that? You wouldn’t block little old _me_ would you, lambkin?}

{PillO Keep it up and you’ll find out.}

{PillO Changing the subject – I need some workout gear}

{PillO Don’t get excited. There’s conditions}

{AsmoBaby Shopping trip!! We _must_ go shopping! It will be so much fun!!!}

{PillO I’m already regretting this. No, it can be done online I’m sure}

{AsmoBaby You _seriously_ are no fun this morning}

{PillO AND it must meet my strict approval for the designated purpose.}

{AsmoBaby What’s your flavour sweetheart? Weight training? Running? Swimming?}

You realise in your haste to get him off the subject, you didn’t think this through and suddenly you don’t want to tell him.

{AsmoBaby Don’t leave me in suspense darling….}

{PillO Yoga}

The reply is immediate

{AsmoBaby Yoga?}

{AsmoBaby Oooh darling, _really_?}

{AsmoBaby Are you very…. _bendy_?}

{AsmoBaby I bet you’re very flexible}

{AsmoBaby Lucky Belphie. I’m jealous!}

{AsmoBaby Perhaps we can have a joint… _session_ …. sometime}

{PillO STOP!!!}

{PillO Asmodeus, you’re a sweetheart but you’re bloody hard work.}

{PillO Now behave, or I’ll ask Mammon instead}

{AsmoBaby Why would you ask _Mammoron_? That’s just insulting!}

{PillO Because… firstly, he’s a model and would know where to buy things}

{PillO Secondly, unlike you, he wouldn’t think of putting me in hot pants and a crop top}

{PillO And finally, he’s got a praise kink and he’s easy to get my way with}

{AsmoBaby Darling, all jokes aside. Be careful with him.}

{AsmoBaby He’s greed. He’ll take _everything_ you give and want more}

{AsmoBaby _Wait a moment_ …. Praise kink? How did you…}

{PillO Ha… It’s not half obvious.}

{PillO Listen, you licentious little devil, get back to class. We can chat later}

{AsmoBaby _No fair_ , this was just getting more interesting!}

{AsmoBaby Fine, my little treacle pudding. I expect to chat to you over dinner. Or else}

Shaking your head, you move to close your chat and notice the reply from Belphie.

{CuddleBuddy _Main_ squeeze huh…}

{CuddleBuddy I don’t like that}

_CuddleBuddy has changed the name of the chat thread to Only Squeeze_

{CuddleBuddyBetter}

You refuse to dignify that with a comment.

Finding your book from the other morning you decide to spend your time lost in the world that someone else has created for a while. At least, that’s the plan; however, your thoughts keep returning to what Asmodeus has just insinuated about your demon. Could he actually feel more than some sort of skewed possession towards a pet? You can’t believe it’s possible, but with so many of his brethren implying or outright saying he may, you are starting to wonder. The whole situation feels surreal. As did his kiss this morning. _What the hell was that about?_ you wonder in bemusement. It’s all too much, too fast.

Another alarm sounds, and you realise you’ve spent an hour staring at the same page, as the thoughts swirl around your head. This song is also unfamiliar, different to the last, stating how much the singer adores cuddling with the person they are with. Glancing at the screen, this title is “Message your Better Half”

 _Tickets much_ you snort to yourself as you open your chat.

{PillO Just your better half letting you know you should wake for your next class}

You place your device down and try to concentrate on the written words before you. After a few minutes, you receive a reply.

{CuddleBuddy I’m the better half, just for the record}

{PillO No, you’re a demon. You’re the evil half.}

{PillO Therefore that automatically means you're out of the running, making me the better half}

{PillO Now get to class, before Lucifer kicks your butt}

There’s no further reply. Checking the time, you realise it’s getting close to midday. _I probably should try to find something to eat before my so-called “tryst” with Satan_ you think to yourself, and head to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it today!! Belphie wants to test me, and I've been keeping him in line. Only just.
> 
> Today was a hard slog though; tomorrow will be challenging because I have a plan on how it's going to go. Still not right today, hopefully a bit better tomorrow!


	38. Challenges of a Strange Kitchen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first solo trip to the kitchen, or sort of... and Satan prepares to test you for untoward magic residues.

The kitchen is as inviting as you remember from your first visit, though much warmer - the fires are currently stoked high, flames licking at the wood and around the base of a large cauldron bubbling on the stove. Collecting the empty kettle from the counter, you fill it at the tap and set it on the hob to boil, wondering where the tea is hidden. Turns out it’s right under your nose on the counter where most good things hide; there’s a half dozen cannisters. Taking off their tops, you smell the contents; you really are not sure what is safe for a human.

Which brings you to your next dilemma – food. The fridge and cupboards are stocked full of mysterious products, but there’s no way of telling what you can safely prepare yourself. You remember some of the things that Mammon had taught you this morning, but you’ve never seen them prior to preparation so that’s not going to be an option. Or how to prepare some of it, for that matter. Leftovers, thanks to the bear of a glutton that is your demon’s twin, are few and far between and none of them are recognisable. You groan at the futility of the task, leaning your head on the frame of the massive refrigerator, and wish you were in your own kitchen where things were _simple_.

A tiny sound from behind you makes you glance over your shoulder - it is one of the little demons that you’ve seen running errands at mealtimes. The small black demon is looking at you with a sleepily amused expression, curly purple horns curling across its forehead and little tufted tail waving lazily behind it. “Hello there” you say to it. “I don’t suppose you know what’s safe for humans, do you?” it bounces, chittering at you in it’s own language and you say “No, I guess that was just wishful thinking”. It snorts at you, and jumps into the fridge, bouncing on top of a bowl of leftovers.

“Are you trying to tell me you think this is ok?” you ask it curiously. You are answered by excitable babble from the bouncing demon, sounding like it’s trying to give an affirmative. “Alright then, little one – but my demon will be annoyed if you’re wrong”. You recieve another snort, and a cross stamp of the foot like a child having a tantrum. “Ok, I get the message” you chuckle at it. “I really felt like tea but thought I may poison myself; could you help with that too?”

For something so small, this little mote of demon moves at light speed; one moment it’s in the fridge, the next it’s bouncing on its head on one of the cannisters. Opening it, you’re pleased to find it’s fruity. “Perfect! You’re such a great help. I wish I could keep you as my own personal helper, but I guess that’s not going to be possible” The little ball of purple actually sighs at you, and it’s little tail droops. “What, you’d like that? Maybe I could ask. But in the meantime, how about you share some of my lunch as a reward?” Your reply is a very excited, bouncing streak of black and purple.

As you prepare tea and warm the leftovers – vegetables, by the looks of it, though odd shapes and colours to what you’re used to in the Human realm – you chatter away to the little demon. It looks oddly familiar, even though you can’t quite place your finger on why, and though it can’t communicate in the same language it’s doing it’s best. You find it surprisingly good company as you set a plate for yourself on the preparation counter and choose yourself a cup from the cupboard.

When you spy a shot glass placed randomly in the cup cupboard, it gives you an idea – grabbing both it and a saucer from one of the cups, you place it down near yours and serve up a meal for you and the little devil. The little D bounces – it’s starting to make you dizzy with all this energy - then makes a show of seating itself neatly on the counter, taking bites of the vegetables and looking up at you with it’s little head tilted like a bird. The vegetables are surprisingly good, and the tea is sweet and soothing without sugar. Your little companion sighs contentedly as it empties its little plate and looks at you, rubbing its eyes.

“What is it, are you tired little one?” the demon yawns loudly and blinks at you. “I should let you go rest then. Well I must say your company was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Come find me anytime you like” It stays put, staring at you and shifting from one foot to the other. “You want to stay with me, is that it?” you get a chitter in response. “Well. I suppose you could sleep on my shoulder if that’s what you…. hey!” you giggle – that was all the invitation your new friend needs, as it scuttles up your arm like a rotund purple spider and settles on your shoulder, nuzzling up to your neck.

Carefully moving so as not to dislodge your new addition, you re-boil the kettle for another cup of tea and start cleaning the lunch dishes. Immediately your hands enter the water, your phone rings, and you sigh as you wipe them to answer the call. Your device notifies you that it’s Satan as you pick up.

“Hello, Satan. Calling to put off our meeting?”

“No, just calling to let you know I’m leaving RAD now. Can you please meet me in the Common Room? It will be more comfortable for our purpose, I believe”

“Of course. I’m just making tea, would you like some? It’s some sort of fruity thing”

There’s silence for a moment, then he says slowly “Yellow or pink fruit”

“Pink. Well more of a deep plum I guess. Umm. Is there a problem?”

His sigh is audible. “No, no luckily that’s safe. Yellow would not have been. We are going to have to think about labelling or educating you. And yes, I would love some. There’s a teapot in the top left cupboard, middle shelf – if you don’t mind brewing it in that please”

“Satan, you’re going out of your way to help Belphie and I. It’s the least I can do”

“Well then. Bring the bone china cups. I’ll see you in about 20 minutes” Without further ado, the line cuts out.

Thankfully, there are no further interruptions as you quickly finish cleaning up. The teapot is easy to find, and once the kettle boils everything is quickly set up – teapot rinsed with boiling water, leaves steeping in the pot, cups and saucers, sugar and spoons all neatly placed on a tray. You carry it all into the common room with five minutes to spare, and a demon on your shoulder snoring lightly. Satan walks into the room one minute after the time he told you he’d arrive, greeting you politely. _Very punctual_ you muse to yourself. “I shall be one moment; the RAD uniform is constrictive. I’ll just put on something less formal. Will you pour the tea for me please?”

“Certainly. Do you require sugar?” you reply. His formal speech is infectious, it would appear.

“No, I don’t take sugar. One moment” he leaves the room. By the time you’ve poured the tea – no time at all, really – he’s returned in his casual blazer and sweater combination. He sighs as he seats himself down and takes his cup.

“I must say, this is exactly what I needed” he looks at you with a smile, then his eyes narrow. “Why is there a Little D on your shoulder?”

“It wanted to be there…?” you say with a smile.

“Huh. Well that’s new… I admit, I’ve never seen one sitting like a parrot before” he rubs his chin with his palm at the new mystery for him to puzzle out. “One of Belphie’s. How did this come about, I would assume it didn’t take a flying leap there…” his lips quirk at you.

“Well, no… I did offer my shoulder because it didn’t want to leave after we had lunch together. You must admit it’s quite cute. And helpful too”

“Helpful….?” He raises an eyebrow, so you explain how the little guy helped you in the kitchen. “Hmmm. Fascinating. I’m looking forward to seeing how Belphie’s testing will go, it would appear it will be a fascinating study” he places his cup down gently. “But first, we need to see what we can discover with the residual magic energy, if anything.” He pushes one of the long lounges off the rug and onto the parquetry flooring with next to no effort. “Please, lay across the lounge”

Following the instructions of the blonde brother, you feel a bit like you’re in a psychiatric office as you lay back on the chair. Your little demon familiar chatters at you as it’s dislodged momentarily, only to take up residence on your stomach. “So, doc… do we start with my childhood?”

His lips quirk slightly. “Not today. I shall create a circle around the chair. I say circle, but it will be a bit… oblong, in this case”

You hum. “What’s the process? Will it be… uncomfortable?”

“Once the circle is drawn, you only need to lie with your eyes closed. It may feel a little uncomfortable, but it won’t hurt, I assure you” he says, pulling various vials out of his pocket. Pausing, he makes eye contact as he says “If anything does make you feel uncomfortable, we can stop, just say when”

“But otherwise just lie back and think of England…”

He snorts at you. “No, I’m not _Asmo_. Now, let us begin”

Quietly you watch as Satan, beginning at your head, starts drawing intricate, swirling patterns in sand on the hardwood floor around the chair. He works swiftly and efficiently, obviously well versed in the creation of these.

As he rounds the foot of the couch and reaches your second ankle, your DDD starts making an _awful_ sound – like death metal meeting the growls from the abyss of hell meeting the yowling of ten thousand tortured souls. Satan curses as the sand spills in the wrong direction and looks at your device sharply; the Little D on your stomach squarks and scoots off at a million miles per hour.

It’s another alarm to wake Belphie. You raise an eyebrow at the title as you shut it off, and Satan starts laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” you ask him. He’s at the wrong angle to see the title of the alarm from his location by your feet, surely.

Satan’s smile is genuine and wide. “Apologies, obviously you’re not able to speak infernal. It’s a song that was popular, what, a decade or two ago. To paraphrase the lyrics, it is a demon singing to a love rival that he’ll rip off his…” he pauses, and blushes ever so slightly. “Family jewels, for want of a better phrase”

Shaking your head, you add “He called this a tryst earlier. And he’s been naming the alarms that he set to wake him for the next class… this one was ‘No fondling the wrathful demon’. So. We have both been warned, I guess”

The smile becomes a smirk. “His possessiveness with you is quite excessive”

You glance away, making a non-committal sound. Satan cleans up the error in the circle then continues his work while you shoot a quick text at Belphie.

{PillO Get up, sleepyhead}

{PillO Thanks for the alarm title reminder, by the way.}

{PillO I had my hands _all over_ your brother…}

{PillO He’s surprisingly muscly under his shirt, actually!}

 _Well, at least if I have a death wish, I’ll go out laughing_. You chuckle to yourself.

“Is there something amusing with my circle?” Satan is back to his calm, sardonic self.

“Nope. I thanked Belphie for reminding me not to touch you. Fair warning, I told him that I had been”

He starts and looks at you, blushing. “I… well. Good to know”

“Full disclosure is only fair, I guess.” You give him a dazzling grin, as your device pings a notification.

{CuddleBuddy You better not be…}

{CuddleBuddy Maybe I should come home}

{PillO OF COURSE I AM NOT TOUCHING HIM YOU TWIT!}

{PillO Hopefully your next alarm is a bit quieter, that last one was dreadful}

{PillO Now get to your next class. We’re about to start testing.}

{CuddleBuddy No. That’s the last one. Beel will collect me after this class}

{CuddleBuddy I’ll see you in a few hours}

Setting the device to silent, you place it in your pocket; Satan has started chanting in a deep, hellish language over the top of the circle. You watch transfixed as the sand starts to glow in a green light - the shade matching his eyes.

“Close your eyes and relax” he says gently as the circle flares. “Let us commence”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurred to me that, if left alone in the Devildom, you wouldn't know what to actually do food-wise if you had no instructions, regardless of your level of cooking skill. And if you're meant to be seeing to yourself, it would be a bit of an issue!
> 
> I want a Little D. Just putting an intention out to the universe LOL. It can sleep on my pillow. Unless they smell...
> 
> Still a bit fuzzy and sore, but it's ok because I discovered something that helped trigger the flare - it will pass by the end of the week now, I'm sure. That's always good. I did get out walking today (no, I don't care if I'm sore, I will just go do it anyway!) and I think it's loosened up some of it and made my ankles a bit worse. Which is better news than it sounds ;) Anyway... went to the Beach Friday - a light blush of sunburn. Climb "Mt" Annan - actual sunburn lmao. It's not bad, just ironic! Oh, and "Mt" in inverted commas, because it's more like a hill hahaha


	39. Sorting Threads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Testing and discussions with the Fourth Born.

Closing your eyes, you settle back on the couch as instructed. Satan begins muttering, a low growl that can be felt in your marrow. The green light flares around you, visible through your closed eyelids. Energy prickles your skin, making the smaller hair on your body raise and goosebumps rise on your arms. You concentrate on your breathing, keeping it slow to calm the feeling of rising panic and fear.

As you fight to calm your nerves, you notice a feeling of floating – you are not levitating, you can feel your skin on the smooth leather surface. It’s an eerie sensation, odd but not exactly unpleasant. Your mind floats, thoughts unfocussed and slippery as you concentrate on Satan’s voice. Surprisingly, the light and energy from the wrathful demon feels gentle and safe, curious as it explores but not probing to the point of making you uncomfortable. It’s the feeling of having a long conversation with someone who you can trust not to be judgemental with who and what you are. 

The chanting stops. You feel bereft of the sound as the room becomes completely silent. Time, which had started to feel fluid, comes crashing back around you. “You may open your eyes” Satan states quietly. As you do, the green light flares and goes out as the circle breaks. Late afternoon light is streaming into the room; you pull out your DDD, surprised to see that three hours have passed since you last looked at it.

“Time is shattered in the circle and the incantation would have made you go into a trance. It would have seemed a lot shorter time, I wager” Satan glances up at you; busy cleaning the floor with a dustpan and broom and is busy cleaning - destroying the beautiful swirls of his creation.

“Yes” you say simply. “May I sit up?”

“Certainly” he replies. You watch him efficiently remove all traces of the mess on the floor. Job complete, he silently sits beside you on the couch, studying you.

You fidget, his gaze is very penetrating at the best of times but now, it looks like he’s attempting to flay the skin from you. “Do you intend to just sit and stare at me, or are you going to discuss your findings?”

“Well, I can’t be completely sure yet. I’ll need to test Belphie” his lips quirk at you, and his eyes sparkle in amusement. “It’s not malevolent though”

“So, not an evil spell, but you do not know more or just won’t tell me…” his eyebrows quirk and he looks guilty for the briefest moment. “Won’t, huh. Why _won’t_ you tell me?”

“Direct, aren’t you…?” He is amused. “Belphie has met his match, it would seem. Yes, won’t. Part of it is speculation. The other… if I’m completely honest, I didn’t wish to go into it with you” He blushes ever so slightly. _Damn, how come these guys look so pretty blushing, and all I can manage is an imitation of a tomato_ , you wonder.

“Satan. We are adults, are we not?” He nods once, curtly. “Then spill it. You said it’s not evil, so it can’t be that bad, surely?”

He sighs, resigning himself. “No. It’s, uh…” the flush lights up his cheeks completely. “The magic is that from a lust demon. It’s nothing salacious, I assure you” he rushes to assure you, as your eyes widen “and it is waning, almost gone, virtually ineffective on you now. That’s why the testing took so long, it was hard to locate amongst your psyche.”

“Um. Ok. If it’s not salacious, as you put it, then what exactly is it?”

He averts his eyes. “Think of it as a way of lowering your fear, in a manner. I cannot say more than that, until I test Belphie”

Silence falls between you for a moment. “Waning… does that mean it will dissipate on it’s own, eventually?”

He hums and rubs his chin. “Again, I won’t know for certain until I test Belphie. Early prognosis is that it will, but I would prefer to be certain.” He sighs. “I’ve said too much, considering the amount of speculation in my conclusions. Please, don’t ask further; I don’t wish to be rude when I decline to answer”

“Ok. Thank you for telling me as much as you have. When will we have the outcome?”

“I should know as soon as Belphie has permitted his testing. Perhaps he’ll permit it today”

“Maybe. Perhaps he’ll want you to do it at the same time as whatever testing you’re doing with him for the Soul Contract”

Tilting his head on the side, he eyes you curiously. “So, you want him to go ahead with it?”

You snort. “Me? I told him it sounded like too much hassle. He, however, seems quite determined to do it. I thought he arranged it with you?”

“He mentioned it” he says, eyes like lasers boring into yours. “I was curious about the motivation. You’re against it, then?”

“I don’t know” you answer hesitantly. “Look, I’ll be very frank about this. I don’t see a benefit to either of us. It’s extra work for both you and him, and it’s a long time to be tied to someone you barely know. The Pact just seems cleaner and… oh I don’t know, just easier all round.”

“Hmmm” he is studying you. “A logical conclusion. What would you give him to bind the Pact?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think there’s much he’d want, and I’m a little attached to my soul…” you say quietly. “Other than a form of binding that requires nothing but his affection, if that’s what he actually has and not some sort of weird obsession, I really see no added benefits”

Satan sits, staring at you silently for a long moment before clearing his throat. “Well, I briefly mentioned the emotional bond as another part of the Soul Contract previously if you recall?” He waits for your nod. “I found a discourse on it, in amongst the rare tomes of the Royal Library. It was written by an anonymous author, a demon who had a soul contract” he falls silent for a moment. “It’s a diary of sorts. He speaks at length about the fact that he could sense _exactly_ what his bond mate was thinking via a feeling in the back of his brain, like an extended limb. There were passages Asmo would have loved, however I shall leave that to your imagination. They fed on each other’s emotions, from all accounts” he’s silent for another moment, as you digest this. “And… um. The human could borrow their magic at a whim. With a pact, there is a finite amount that may be borrowed from the demon, and it affects them little. With the Soul Contract, the human can almost completely drain their demon, only leaving enough that they may live to regenerate it” he falls silent, looking at you for a long moment.

“Satan. Does Belphie know this?” you ask slowly, quietly.

“I have not told him.” he answers succinctly.

You sigh. “Well, he must know what he’s in for. Perhaps it will dissuade him”

“Are you truly that much against it?”

“I… well, it’s not that I’m against it, it just seems like overkill for the purpose. Don’t you agree?”

He sits perfectly still studying you; it’s disconcerting and makes you fidget. Finally, he breaks his silence. “He said after the _incident_ in the attic, you looked at him like a mouse at a hawk” You break his gaze, and don’t answer; he continues “With the testing I have just performed on you, I had to do a very thorough search, pulling apart threads of thoughts and feelings. I felt some of how you feel about things.”

And now you can’t look at him. Suspecting the answer, you ask anyway. “You’re telling this because…?”

“Because your fear is always present in the back of everything, isn’t it? The fear of someone losing control…” You look at your fingernails, nodding. “ _Who did this?_ ” he says, the angry tone in his voice forcing you to look at him, eyes wide. _Just breathe. If I answer, he’ll calm down. I just have to answer._

“I… he… an ex” _Please be enough, I don’t want to talk about this_ you think, shrinking back away from him as subtly as you can, putting as much space as possible between you.

Satan reads your body language and his eyes widen for a moment before he closes them, taking deep breaths. “I’m not angry at you. You needn’t fear me” he says. He opens his eyes and looks at you with a hard gaze. “But they should be, you shouldn’t feel like this. I will find out who they are, and _they’ll rue the day they were born_ ”

“Please don’t” you say in a whisper. Forcing yourself to look at him, you add “I… I want to forget. I’m doing my best, but there’s times where I… _trigger_. I can’t help it. But I’m better than I used to be”

“He _hurt_ you”

“Physically? A few times, yes. Emotionally… all the time. But I am free of him now. I’ve been free for years.” You manage a small smile. “Mostly free, it’s only a ghost that crops up now and again”

Satan’s eyes narrow at you. “I’d still like to pay him a visit… But I shall respect your wishes. Does Belphie know?”

“No. Please don’t tell him. If he ever finds out, I’d rather it was from me”

“A fair request. But if you tell him, I warn you he may visit him. I highly doubt you could stop his retribution on your behalf”

“Surely if I ask, he won’t… I mean, you saw sense, wouldn’t he?”

“My dear human” he says, lips tugging upward “I concede that I have quickly grown to like you, but not to the point where I would lose control. He, however, feels as much for you as he does for Beel… and if someone had mistreated Beel, he’d find them and destroy them completely. But telling him is something you will need to decide for yourself, I will leave that to you”

“Thank you” your voice is quiet.

“However, I digress. Knowing the thoughts of your bond mate may have an impact for you, as you will be able to safely gauge his mood. You’ll see behind his mask; Belphie can be hard to get a read on at the best of times” he places his hand on his chest, considering. “Let it be said, this would be a benefit to you right now. And I will add for the record, you need no affection for your demon for it to take.”

“That’s hardly fair” you say, shocked.

“No, but many things are not fair” he says, amused. “I think you should consider it for your own sake. You deserve to feel safe. I think this sacrifice on my youngest brothers’ part would be of more benefit to you than him, but if the Soul Contract test shows it will take, I strongly suspect he won’t care.”

You sigh and rub your temples, feeling completely drained. “You appear to think the benefit outweighs the cost then. Why would you tell me this? Shouldn’t you be working towards your brother’s goals, not mine?”

He outright laughs at your blunt statement. “Quite possibly. But I do like to watch the pot be stirred, you could say” Glancing at him, his green eyes sparkle with merriment. “I have not been so entertained for many years. Surprisingly, your arrival has not been unwelcome, so think of this as a little… investment in my further entertainment”

You look at him shocked for a moment, then burst into laughter yourself. “You are terrible!”

Belphie chooses this moment to saunter into the room, dragging his feet. “Why is my brother terrible?”

“Oh, no reason of consequence” grins Satan, earning a tired glare from your demon. “Would you be up to testing this afternoon?”

“Not in my uniform” he replies. He’s still in the formal dress of RAD which is crumpled from his napping, and has his bag slung over his shoulder. “If I may sleep through it, I could change and come back”

“That would be fine. I’m done with round one of testing, so you should take your pet with you. Don’t forget, it must be done separately”

You rise and stretch your muscles, smiling at your demon. “Come on then, let’s get this finished before dinner if we can”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took one chapter instead of two. Which is not a bad thing, because fluff would be good - as long as Belphie isn't too grumpy from being tired.
> 
> Have plans tomorrow, may not post; need to be up quite early for a long drive. We shall see how it pans out!


	40. An Awkward Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belphie is otherwise engaged; a mealtime without him

Leading your sleepy demon back to the room, he leans on you slightly with his arm slung over your shoulder as you traverse the hallways. Peeking at him out of the corner of your eye, you note the bed hair and dark circles. “I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re not too exhausted?”

Smiling tiredly, he squeezes your shoulder. “I’ll be ok. I’ve been worse than this”

“Be that as it may, you look like you could fall asleep on me walking to the room!”

“I’ve done that before, it’s always possible” he chuckles as he opens the door to your shared room. Hurriedly grabbing his casual wear from his wardrobe, he adds “I best quickly clean up too. Call me if I’m not out in 10 minutes”

You amuse yourself by scrolling through Devilgram whilst sitting in the bedside chair. Asmo has been busy uploading photos - as seems to be his norm - of him and various locations, objects and demons. He’s also uploaded one of Lucifer’s butt, and the comments from the Succubi and Incubi are enough make you blush. Lucifer’s comment is not so lewd and promises harsh retribution. _I guess I can’t blame him_ you think, amused, making a note to try to keep your own derriere well away from Asmo’s camera.

Checking the time, you can see it’s been just over 10 minutes. “ **Belphie!! How are you travelling in there??** ” you call to him. You can’t hear the muffled reply properly through the door, but he’s obviously awake and you’re relieved that won’t need to drag him out of there. A few further moments, and he’s out of the bathroom, dressed, hair still damp but not nearly as scruffy.

“Remind me why we’re not just going straight to bed, human?” he yawns at you.

“Because you agreed you’d do the testing. Because we’re also going to have to eat before you sleep”

He groans. “Ok, fair point. I guess I’ll go down now. Dinner won’t be too long, and Beel will be home anytime soon. He said he’ll walk you down for me, I have a feeling Satan and I may be held up”

“Alright. Well… I will try my best to save both of you something”

Smiling at you, he throws his wet towel in the hamper. “You’re the best, have I mentioned that?”

“Hmm. I can’t recall… but feel free to remind me at any time.” You grin at him.

He doesn’t make a move. “I… um…” there’s other following words but they’re muttered and low, so you can’t hear them as he turns to his bag.

“What’s up, my long tall streak of sloth?”

A huff of amusement. “For you.” Turning, he holds out a small bouquet. “Just a little thank you for waking me”

The smile you give him is delighted. “Thank you! You didn’t have to get me anything!!

“Well, it’s not much, I mean I picked them on the way home so it’s nothing special…” He’s flushed, and you’re not sure if it’s the fact that he’s giving you the slightly glowing orange daisies or if he’s embarrassed to give them to you.

“If you picked them yourself, even better” you smile up at him, eyes sparkling. “Is there a vase or a tumbler in here? I’ll have to put them in water”

“I… yes there’s a glass in the bathroom, I can get it”

“No need, I can grab that myself” you say, rising. On a whim, you give him a brief hug, stepping back quickly “Now get going, Satan is waiting! 

“You’re not making it easy to go,” he smiles down at you.

“Go!!” You laugh at him. “I’ll spend time at you afterwards”

He huffs a laugh at you as he leaves, and you go in search of the tumbler.

~*~*~

“Hey… wake up”

The daises are safely in water on the side table under the lamp, and you’re laying on your stomach comfortably reading – or were, until you faceplanted, fast asleep into the novel in front of you. “Beel... What time is it?” you scrub your eyes with the back of your wrist.

“It’s nearly dinner time. You’ve been asleep since I arrived back from training, didn’t want to disturb you” he looks you over. “Are you ok to go down to dinner, or do you need to change?”

You yawn and push yourself off the mattress. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to nod off. I’m ready”

Beel smiles and offers his arm; you place your arm through it. “Let’s go, I’m hungry”

Arriving on Beel’s arm – as he isn’t your usual companion - is enough to cause a ruckus; at least it’s the excuse for the ruckus this evening. The excuse for the _first_ one, at any rate. Levi takes little to no notice, focus taken by his DDD. Mammon’s eyebrows try to climb off his forehead on their own accord and Asmo starts to giggle. Lucifer, rather than the normal slightly stiff but genteel demon, looks very stiff this evening, throwing the rowdy second and fifth born a dark look.

“Oh my. Swapping partners _already_ are you, my sweet? Please, do let me know when it’s _my_ turn!” Asmo is the first to speak. “Come, sit between me and your new _paramour_ , I have so much I wish to speak to you about!”

“Asmodeus. Is it too much to ask for one peaceful meal from you” Lucifer growls. “There will be no further nonsense. The human shall sit next to me”

“… but _Lucifer!!”_

“No buts” he replies, rising and pulling out the chair next to yours, addressing you. “Where is your demon this evening?”

“Working on something with Satan. I apologise on their behalf; they may be running late” you say as you seat yourself as gracefully as possible. You figure adding a little apology might keep the pair out of trouble; at the very least it’s worth trying.

“Noted.” He sits, then silently stares at you; the second demon to make you feel uncomfortable with their staring in the same day.

“Lucifer, do I have something on my face?”

“What…? No. No… I…” he clears his throat, regaining composure. “This is for you”. Glancing at the first born quizzically, you take the proffered envelope and stare at it. “I believe the convention is to open it” he says, lips quirking slightly

“ _Really_? Thanks for the heads up” Picking up your knife, from the table, you slice the top open. Inside is an intricately decorated card, gold gilt borders, and red lettering on black card stock.

“I don’t understand?” you look at Lucifer questioningly. “I’m invited to take tea with someone… Diavolo? Where’s Belphie’s name?”

“He insists on inviting you personally” he's looking decidedly uncomfortable as he states this; Mammon and Asmo are giggling behind their hands to each other.

“But why…? Technically, I’m… just a _pet_!” you exclaim.

“Regardless of what you are or think you are, the future king wishes to meet you. You _must_ attend” his glance is flat, brokering no room for argument.

“Belphie will go with me, won’t he?”

Asmo interjects. “It doesn’t matter, I’m sure _Luci_ will be happy to take you to meet his boyfriend in person!” He and Mammon giggle at each other.

Lucifer looks quite peevish. “I’m sure Belphegor will be happy to take his human. But if not, I guess it will fall to me”

“Awww. What’s with the attitude? Did your boyfriend get mad because you hadn’t told him?” Asmo snickers behind his fist.

“Yeah I can’t believe ya didn’t keep him in the loop!” Mammon adds.

“Oooh!!!! Is there trouble in the land of _Dialuci?”_ Asmo is completely in his element, eyes shining.

“ ** _Enough_**!!” Lucifer roars at them. “One more word from either of you, I _dare_ you!”

Beel puts his large paw on his shoulder comfortingly. “If Belphie doesn’t go with you, I will” he rumbles reassuringly. “You’ll be fine though.”

“Thanks Beel. It’s kind of you to offer” you smile up at him.

“No need” Lucifer says curtly. “I will take them myself if necessary. I will contact him to let him know you will be attending” and with no further comment, he signals; the little demons begin to bring in the meal. At this point, you’d probably think that the worst of the chaos would be over; however, after your meal is placed before you and the cover is removed, a blur of black and purple flies around the table and into your lap.

“ _What. Is. This._ ” growls an irate Lucifer.

“Ummm. A little D?” you answer as calmly as possible.

“I know _that_. Why is it _sitting_ on you” His eyes are glowing an angry red.

“Well that I’m not sure of, precisely, as we don’t speak the same language. But perhaps it wishes to eat with me” you shrug, nonchalantly

“Little D’s _do not_ _eat_ with us”

“Why?’ you ask, guilelessly

“Hierarchy” says Beel from beside you.

“Oh. Well. Hypothetically speaking… if I were to eat lunch with one when I am on my own, would that be breaking some sort of rule…?”

“I…” Lucifer is taken aback. “Why would you even consider eating with one?”

“Why do you have a human pet at your dining table?” you shoot back, rationally.

He stares at you. “That’s different. _Humans_ are different”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I mean technically I’m a pet, putting me on a lower footing than everyone at the table. Does that make me the same as this little guy, then?” you scratch between the little D’s horns, and it chitters up at you, pleased at the attention.

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “No little D’s at the dinner table. Final decision”

“Ok _fine_ ” you grumble. “Hey little one, you better jump down. See you in the bedroom later?” It looks up at you chittering enthusiastically and takes off at a breakneck speed.

The rest of the meal is somewhat silent, with Lucifer’s stiff mood and the rest of the boys on edge and attempting not to be the next target of his ire. As you are all finishing up, your DDD pings.

{CuddleBuddy Hey}

{CuddleBuddy We’re done. Satan’s on the way.}

{CuddleBuddy I’m going up to the room. Too tired to sit at the table.}

{CuddleBuddy Would you bring a plate up, if it’s not too much trouble?}

{PillO Sure can.}

{PillO I’m about done here anyway…}

{PillO You’re missing nothing down here. It’s silent as a funeral parlour}

{CuddleBuddy What’s Mammon done…}

{PillO Not much. It’s more what I have done.}

{PillO Let me see if I can get away quickly with something for you}.

Lucifer is glaring at your being on your DDD. You smile at him. “Belphie and Satan are done. Satan should be here any moment… oh speak of the devil!”

Satan’s gaze sweeps over the room as he enters, gauging the mood. “Belphie is unusually tired, and unfortunately won’t be coming down.” He states to the table without any further greeting; addressing you he continues “He would appreciate if you could take him up a plate when you go up”

“Thank you Satan. I should take him something quickly. May I please be excused?”

“Of course” Lucifer replies.

“Thank you” you reply.

“I’ll accompany you to the kitchen” says Satan, and you bid the brothers good evening as you follow on his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired. Let me know if there's anything that needs correcting.
> 
> Up at stupid o'clock for Katoomba's Scenic World. It was worth it, but as the designated driver I'm ready to sleep now, TYVM.
> 
> If you're reading this, I hope you are safe and well - and not in a hotspot for C19 x


	41. Not-Trysts and R&R

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan gives you a little of advice; Belphie is tired.

Satan leads the way to the kitchen, and you follow on his heels; on the side board there are two covered meals, and many desserts laid out on the preparation counter ready to be taken into the dining room when the main course is completed. You briefly wonder why Satan didn’t just have one of the little D’s bring the meal in to him, but that question is answered somewhat quickly by his turning to you, hand on his chest. “Our discussion earlier was interrupted”

“Yes, it was. Is Belphie ok? Did you find anything, and was it bad?”

“My, you’re a curious one” Smirking at you, he says “Yes, yes and no”

“You just gave me a non-answer, wrath man. Can you please elaborate?” you grin at him.

“As you wish. Yes, Belphie is fine, but extremely exhausted and was petulantly requesting your presence.” He chuckles at this, then continues. “Yes, I found the magic. As is the case with you, it has waned to virtually nothing and I don’t believe it will cause any issues whatsoever. I’m almost certain now that it will completely dissipate on its own, however there’s always room for uncertainly. It is not an evil magic, of that I’m definite.” He pauses for a long moment. “I will not tell you more, that would be up to Belphegor when he’s up to it. And I have a little digging to do before I know if it will go completely and what the intended purpose was. I believe I know the source of the incantation now.”

“Why can’t you just tell me?” you frown at him. “It’s not a big deal, surely!”

“No, it’s not. However, I did not tell him of the effects on you, and I shall not tell you of his. That is a matter between you two. Especially so, because” he pauses again, and shifts his weight before continuing. “Because I believe that you will be best served by the Soul Contract. More so since the last explorative testing on Belphie. I will be performing the Soul Contract test over the weekend on him, but I believe it will be an extraordinarily strong bond created that is in _your_ best interest.”

“But not _Belphie’s_ ….” you give him a hard look.

“Not so much.” He sighs. “I should keep silent on this also, however I am choosing not to. You know I could feel how you felt… it was similar with him. He, of course, is more aware of testing procedures and has practice in hiding much of what he’s feeling without causing the testing to be nullified. He cannot hide all of it” he gives you a significant look “and what he couldn’t hide is extraordinarily strong.”

You’re silent for a long moment, considering his words. “But it’s not fair to bond myself to someone who you are claiming has strong feelings when I don’t return them - not yet, at any rate. Perhaps I will, but what if I don’t?”

“I will perform my test. Once this is done, you must speak to him and be honest. If he wishes to bind himself to you anyway, then that is his choice and my advice to you is to do it”

“Hmmm. Why, though? What do you get out of it?” you say, raising an eyebrow, and he’s visibly taken back for a moment; he chuckles at your blunt question.

“Fair question. Well firstly, I shall see something rare come into play and be able to study it, but you knew that as I have said as much. Secondly, I wish to see how this will play out with Lucifer. Watching him… be _uncomfortable_ is a pastime of mine. I wish I’d been there for that invitation he handed you from his boyfriend Diavolo, Asmo sent me a text and it appears it would have been extremely entertaining” he chuckles. “I wonder how he would react to the Soul Contract. Regardless, I do believe it will be fun to watch”. _Boyfriend? He actually **is** the significant other of the Prince of the Realm?? _you think, tucking that little tidbit away to question someone on it further at a later point.

“From your perspective, perhaps; I have my doubts that it will be as entertaining from mine. Be that as it may, until the last of the testing is out of the way I will be putting it from my mind. There’s no point considering something if it’s unfeasible, Satan”

“Perhaps that’s true” he says. “Please do consider it a little though, as I suspect you’re going to need an answer for Belphie for when he’s tested successfully and wishes to do it”

You shake your head in bewilderment. “I just… this is all too much, Satan”

He considers you for a long moment. “How so?”

“You _seriously_ don’t see any issue with this?” you ask him.

“Not really” he shrugs.

“ _Really??_ First, I’m sacrificed to a demon who decides, _hmm_ , this human might be ok to keep around rather than slice the living soul out of their body; now, he wants to make a binding with me that is the demon equivalent of _marrying_ me for eternity! And you can’t see how this would be bewildering for me??”

Laughing, he nods. “Ok, when you put it like that, I guess a human would see it so. Things are different for demons”

“Obviously” you shake your head. “Look. I don’t know if it will mean anything to you, but for what it’s worth I do appreciate your taking the time to test us. And for your advice. Thank you” You manage a small smile, as you collect the plate and snag two small pots of custard for dessert.

“You’re welcome. I do appreciate the sentiment. And, if you are agreeable to it, I would still like to spend one of my early days discussing some of the novels we both enjoy; I also have a few recommendations for further reading.”

“I’d like that” you smile at him. “I’d better get this to Belphie quickly, else he’ll be out cold”

“Hah. He may well be already, knowing him. Have a good evening”

“You also” and with that, you leave Satan to enjoy his meal.

~*~*~

Belphie is seated on the chair next to your bed, looking down at his DDD when you enter. He smiles at you tiredly. “About time, I don’t know if I could have stayed awake much longer”

You snort at him, and hand him the plate. “You’re welcome”

“Yeah, yeah. Thank you” he laughs.

“I just hope you don’t fall asleep in the plate, or I’ll need to find Beel to drag you into the shower to rinse you down”

“I’ll do my best” he eats in silence for a moment. “How… how did your testing go?”

“Ok, I guess. There’s not a lot to tell. I found it hard to get anything much out of Satan. How about you?”

“Same. He seems to think it’s from a lust demon, but otherwise he won’t be drawn out.” he sighs. “It’s all so odd. But he did say it’s just about gone, which is good.”

“He did say it was almost gone for me too.” You pause for a moment. “I suppose if it is dissipating it’s not something to worry too much on”

“I suppose you’re right” he smiles. “We’re testing the contract the day after tomorrow.”

“We’ve got the spa day tomorrow, don’t we?”

“Yeah. You don’t need to remind me. Asmo has been reminding me all day” he frowns at you.

“Just hole up in a flotation tank and get a long massage” you smile at him. “At least you’ll have a chance to catch up on some sleep”

He hums thoughtfully, as he finishes his meal. “I suppose. Though I’d rather stay wherever you are”

“Perhaps it won’t take all day…”

“Not if Asmo has anything to do with it” he groans. “I’ll try to think of something”

You hold out the custard. “I managed to get these before I left. Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Both” he gives you a lopsided smile.

“Did you change sins to gluttony?’

“No” he chuckles. “We can share”

“Oh. Fair enough. Which will you start with?”

“Chocolate. I think we can eat this in bed, don’t you?” He stands and throws back the covers, sliding in. “Now come here. I’ve been waiting all day for this”

“I need to change” you laugh at him

“No, you don’t. _You_ need to come here!”

Shaking your head, you grab a pair of clean pyjamas. “Give me a few minutes, I’ll just put these on and be straight back”

“I’ll cover my eyes, change here” he covers his eyes, not trying to hide the fact that his purple eyes are peeking through his fingers.

“Oh, and you’re doing such a _great_ job” you shake your head, chuckling. “I’ll be fast, I promise”

“Better be” he says, as you shut the door.

Quickly stripping out of your clothes, you throw on the pyjamas in minutes and return, propelling the dirty laundry in the hamper. The hamper gives a high-pitched squeak and a black blur hurtles out. “Oh, there you are, little one! I thought you hadn’t come up here!” The little demon rubs its eyes and answers in its own language, obviously unimpressed at the sudden wakening.

Belphie looks between the two of you and speaks in a deep rumble to the little demon. It turns, looking shamefaced, and speaks to him directly; the unintelligible conversation continues for a few moments. “He says that you fed him” Belphie says, giving you an inscrutable look.

“Yes. It… sorry, _he_ helped me find safe food, so I repaid him by sharing. Is that a problem?”

“No, just unusual. You are an odd one” he studies you for a moment. “Where did you come across him?”

“He was in the kitchen. He’s one of yours, is he? Didn’t you send him?”

“Yes, he is one of mine. No, I didn’t send him.”

“Can I keep him around? _Please_??”

He looks surprised. “Why would you want to keep a Little D around?”

“Why not?” you ask, frowning. “He’s a huge help, and he is quite good company”

“ _I’m_ good company” he says, frowning back at you.

“And I’m not denying that – when you’re here, at least. Or awake” you grin at him. The little demon is slowly edging closer to you during the conversation, ending up behind your legs, peeking out from it’s ineffective hiding place at Belphie. “Please, Belphie. It’s also kind of cute, don’t you think?”

“You don’t say things like that about _me_ ” he grumbles. “Fine, if it will make you happy. But just the _one_. I don’t want to see you with a whole line of them running after you”

“ _Yes!!_ Thank you, Belphie! What do you think of that, little guy?” Your little demon looks up at you, chittering excitedly. “We’ll have to get you a bed or something so you can stay with me in here. Perhaps tonight you can crash on the chair?” The little demon cartwheels to the chair, springs up on it, turns a circle like a dog and settles down with a contented sigh. Belphie is watching the demon’s actions with a hard look. “Please tell me you’re not jealous of the little demon, Belphie” you sigh at him.

“Why would I be jealous of a Little D? Give me some _credit_ ” he scoffs, but his lack of eye contact tells you otherwise.

Sighing, you slide into bed. “Well, I don’t believe you. Now quit it.”

You yelp as he drags you to him, legs on either side of your torso as he pulls you into a hug. “What if I am jealous? You’ve spent most of the day with my brothers and a lower tier demon. Maybe I want you to myself for a while”

You tilt your head back and glare at him. “Belphegor. If you’d been home, I’d have been with you. If I could have stayed with you while you tested, I would have. I know my place here”

He looks a little crestfallen. “So you’re only with me because you have to be…”

“Well yes and no” you answer, looking away from his downcast expression. “Yes, because you kind of _own_ me. Yes, because I know you’ll protect me. No, because I do like your company, even though you’re argumentative and needlessly jealous”

He squeezes you, and his chuckle thrums through your torso. “Well I’m glad to hear the last bit. But don’t you enjoy this part?” he says in your ear, squeezing you for effect.

“I do. You do give good cuddles” you grin back at him; he looks quite pleased with himself. “Now, here’s your custard. Shall we watch some television?”

“Thanks” he takes the custard from you then using his DDD as a remote, surfs channels eventually settling on a documentary on astronomy. “A bit of white noise while we eat”

You sigh and lean back. Your demon is warm and sitting against him is comfortable. He steals a bite from your custard and hums contentedly. “I can’t decide which I prefer, they’re both good” Dipping the spoon in his own, he offers it to you. “What do you think?”

Taking the spoon, you place it in your mouth. “Mmm. Agreed, I can’t decide either. They both are perfectly balanced”

His one arm holds you tighter and you both sit in comfortable silence for a while as you polish off your custards. He does seem to prefer yours and ends up eating more of it than you do; not that you mind, you are not particularly hungry since eating your main. When there is nothing left, you take the empty cup and spoon from him to place on the side table… or try to. “You are not going anywhere” he chuckles in your ear.

“Don’t be obstinate. Let me get rid of these, then you should consider sleeping”

Grumbling, he lets you go and you move quickly, sliding back beside him and fixing your pillows to lie back. “You’re too tired to be sitting like that. Come here”

He looks surprised, then pleased. “When did you become so bossy?”

“When it looked like you needed someone to think for you because you are too tired” you grin at him. “Now stop arguing and do as you’re told”

He lays on your sternum, giving a contented sigh. “You better not do this for any of my brothers”

“You better not either” he snorts and holds you closer, as you thread your fingers through his hair. “Belphie, you won’t go dream walking tonight will you? I hate seeing you this exhausted”

He gives a low hum. “What if I come see you?”

“What if I kick you out?”

“You wouldn’t do that would you?” his voice is starting to slur as sleep starts to take him. “If I can’t see you in my dreams, I might get mad”

“I might get madder…”

“Ok, fine. I’ll rest properly” he breathes.

A few more minutes and he’s sound asleep, snoring on your chest. “You’re kind of cute too, for a demon” you whisper to him, with a fond smile. You are not far behind in the sleeping stakes. When Beel comes into the room he finds you both asleep and unknowing of his presence, your fingers still in Belphie’s hair, one of his brother’s legs thrown haphazardly over your torso as he holds onto you like a lifeline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did write most of this yesterday. But it made little sense to me on re-reading. It was crap, yesterday. Today it's not so bad, and I finished it. Brain is still finding things hard to translate, but it's no longer white noise lol.
> 
> And Belphie is tired and grumpy, so pushing him about various things the Protag wants to know about will happen later LOL.


	42. When the Moon Wakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of morning fluff before the chaos of breakfast.

The world comes into focus, as does the snoring of the demon currently caging you to the bed; his limbs wrapped possessively around you like a baby koala holding onto it’s mother. You try not to disturb his rest by fidgeting – really, you do – but he’s _heavy_ and you’re stiff from laying in the same position all night. Eventually, the urge becomes impossible. As you shift your positions as gently as possible, the snoring wanes then stops. You wait a little for his breathing to even out and try again.

“Mmmm. Stoppit” he mutters sleepily

“I need to shift. You’re heavy” you say quietly.

“No. Need you here” he holds you closer, tighter.

“Belphie” you laugh. “I need to feel my limbs. Let go a moment”

“Don’t wanna let go”

“ _Please_ tell me you are not still grumpy this morning”

“I will be if you leave me” he sounds like he’s pouting.

You give him a playful shove. “If you insist on staying in bed longer, it is your turn to hold me”

He sighs, as if the whole world is against him and rolls onto his back. “Bed’s cold here”

“Grumblebum. I’ll give you the spot where I’ve been sleeping”

He doesn’t answer, instead bodily shifting you both so he can have the warmth of the sheets, positioning you to suit himself; you give an involuntary yelp of surprise and he chuckles, carding his hands through your hair. “Perhaps we should cancel today’s plans and stay here”

You laugh. “You try to tell Asmo that. I think he’d break down the door”

He snorts. “I think he would, then he’d try to join us in here if we didn’t go”

“Please. I’m sure he has many… _talents_ , if you know what I mean… but I’m quite happy not to find out”

“Good, because I don’t want him to join us in bed” there is a slightly dark sound to the tone of his voice, and his arm tightens across you possessively. “I don’t want you in bed with him, ever”

Laughing, you say “I suspect you need to rephrase that, because I doubt very much he’s the type to be confined to a bed!”

“True” he sighs. “He’s not bound by convention”

“Are you?” His hands freeze in your hair, and he stops breathing. Moving from your comfortable perch, you turn to look up at him; he is blushing profusely. You can’t help but grin at him. “No need to answer, I’m just teasing”

“Keep teasing me like that and you may find out” his lips quirk at you.

“Right. Well I’m hearing a lot of words from you and seeing a lot of sleeping. So, I guess we’ll see” you laugh and move back to lay on his sternum. He resumes running his fingers in your bed hair, and you give a soft sigh. “Where’s Beel this morning?”

“Probably in the gym, I’m sure he’ll be back shortly. He has training after breakfast, and a game this afternoon”

“You’ll have to take me to one of his games”

“I’d rather keep you here to myself”

“You’ll disappoint him if you don’t take me”

He groans. “Ok. Guess there’s no choice. Even if we can get away early, not today.”

“Not today. If we can get away, we sneak off somewhere away from everyone” you give him a squeeze. “Shame you are testing tomorrow else we could have found somewhere to hole up for the day”

He’s quiet for a long moment, and his hands slow in their movement. “True. But I need to know. Satan seems to think it might not take too long. Hopefully it doesn’t, and I can steal you away from everyone. They’re all _too interested_ in you”

“If you don’t take too long, I will find a way to make an excuse. Promise” you nuzzle into him. “We could just find somewhere to nap”

“I think I’ll have to take you out of the house” he sounds thoughtful. “Let me think on it”

“As you wish”

“If only you were always so… _compliant_ ” he laughs softly.

“Hey! I’m pretty agreeable. Mostly” you chuckle.

“Mm-hm. If you say so, my dear.”

“….sometimes?”

“More accurate”

A comfortable silence grows between you both. _Things could be worse_ you think to yourself. _He’s possessive and jealous, but he’s also kind of sweet for an evil demonic lordling. I wonder if he’s hiding his true nature._ Which makes you wonder about his other form. The more demonic one. You’ve managed to see a blur of black, and a tail but mostly whenever he was in it. _Would it be rude to ask?_

You don’t get a chance to ask now though, because the door opens quietly. Beel peeks around the edge. “Oh, you’re awake” he says, sounding relieved, and a soft light comes on in the room. He hurriedly grabs some clothes from his wardrobe. “Gotta shower guys, been working out”

As the bathroom door shuts, Belphie groans “He could have turned the light back off…”

“Perhaps. But you will need to think about getting up for breakfast yourself, before he gets there and cleans everything up!”

“You’re a buzzkill” he sounds awfully sulky.

“No, just pragmatic, unfortunately. But I offer you this bargain. I shall go first, giving you more time to act like a bed bug. And if you can hold that brother of yours here while I’m in there, then I’ll try to do the same for you.”

He hums thoughtfully. “Deal”

“It requires my getting up now. Beel doesn’t appear to take very long in there”

“Now _that_ I don’t approve of” he says, and without warning tips you off his chest and manhandles you onto your side facing him. “I think I deserve some compensation for my letting you go”

“What, extra time in bed isn’t enough?”

“No, not with my having to leave you all the time.” His blue-black hair hangs over his face, as he peers through it into your eyes.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Hmm.” He grins wickedly. “I can think of all manner of things”

“Geez. You’re starting to sound like Asmo…” you shake your head at him.

“I’m not that depraved…”

As his smile only becomes more devious, you frown at him. “I’m not sure I believe you when you’re smirking like that”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to find out. In the meantime, I think my compensation can be that you kiss me every time you leave me”

Snorting you say “As you leave me more than I leave you, that won’t be often”

“Alright” he openly grins at you, a glint in his eye. “Perhaps whoever leaves owes the other one. Fairer terms?”

“You could just let me get up and stop being silly” you try to deepen your frown, but it’s hard not to chuckle at him.

“Not till I have my payment”

“I didn’t approve the ‘payment’, as you term it….”

“Don’t care. I did. Therefore, you must pay up”

“You’re not going to drop this are you….” you study his face. His hair is scruffy and everywhere from sleeping, his eyes glinting at you through the strands that cover both his eyes and the slight flush on his cheeks - but he looks quite pleased with this turn of events as he shakes his head in answer. You groan. “Fiiiiine. Anything for a quiet life”

You gently stroke the hair away from his face, and his eyes close as he leans into your touch… and fly back open after you press your lips to his forehead, leaving a chaste kiss there. “Hey!! That’s not… I didn’t mean…”

Sliding out of his grip, you grin cheekily at him. “Loopholes, sweetie. I thought you demons understood them…” Stretching your muscles, you make your way to your own wardrobe and open the door.

“Anyone would think _you_ are the demon” he grumbles from the bed. “When did you do that to your wardrobe??”

“Do what? You mean tidy it? Yesterday” you stare at the hangers, wondering to wear. _Comfortable for the spa. And plenty of coverage, for Asmo’s benefit_ you decide, snagging out something comfortable in green.

“ _Not green_. You’re _not_ going to be sporting my brother’s colour today, Pillow”

“Really. We’re going to be _that_ controlling today, are we?”

“Ye _p_ ” he accentuates the ‘p’. “You spent all day with Satan yesterday and you are _not_ wearing his colour today. You are going to have to wear purple. Think of it as an atonement for not _kissing_ me properly”

“I kissed you properly, just not where you thought I would” you answer distractedly, looking through the purples. “Well. I’ll just have to wear this.” You pull out a pair of comfortable jeans and a deep plum sweater – and with not a moment to lose, as Beel wanders out of the bathroom in his sweatpants and tank, rubbing a towel on his bright copper hair.

“Beel, can I chat with you a bit?” Belphie says as you duck into the bathroom.

“Sure, make it quick though… I’m hungry”

You close the door, grinning to yourself and rush through your morning preparations, including light makeup to keep Asmo happy - nothing to ostentatious because it will likely be removed at the spa anyway. When you exit, you throw your towel at Belphie. “Your turn!”

“No fair” he splutters, trying to throw it back and missing.

“Oh, plenty fair, you are usually asleep by now” you grin at him. “Now get a wriggle on. Beel, will you stay and chat with me? We can all go down together”

“Um, ok…. sure” Beel looks a little torn between being pleased that you want to chat to him and sad that he has to wait to eat.

“I’ll be quick Beel, I promise” Belphie sits up in bed, and looks for a long moment at his twin; eventually he nods and you get the feeling that you are being left out of a conversation.

Once Belphie has dragged himself into the bathroom, you sit on the edge of the bed. A high-pitched yawn can be heard, and a speeding black figure bounces onto your lap.

“Um. _Why_ is there a Little D here, and why is it on your lap?” Beel looks puzzled.

You grin at him. “I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine”

“I’ll try” he smiles at you.

“Welllll…. let’s just say that Belphie’s pet apparently has one of their own now. I’m permitted to keep it” you rub the little demon’s tummy, and it purrs like a cat. You laugh. “I didn’t know he purred though. He’s great company when you lot are gone, I must say”

“I’ve never seen one act like that before” Beel looks thoughtfully at you both. “Though we don’t really mix with them, to be honest.”

“Even though you all seem to ‘own’ your own faction of them?” you look at him quizzically.

“True. I guess when we fell, I was wrapped up in the guilt and the transition from Angel to Demon. Perhaps I should pay more attention to my guys.”

“Perhaps” you smile at him. “It’s never too late for change. Now. My question. If you and Belphie so obviously can feel each other’s thoughts, can’t you tell when he’s awake?”

“No” he says. “He’s often dream walking. Whatever he’s doing there bleeds over. It’s often impossible to distinguish between the two. Especially when you’re involved” he blushes and won’t look at you.

“Beel, what on earth do you mean by that??”

“I… uh… i-its not for me to say”

“Oh, but it’s fine for you to imply something then just leave me hanging. Cheers, bro” you scowl at him, and he looks visibly upset.

“I’m sorry. His feelings are strong where you’re concerned. Please don’t ask me more, he has to tell you himself” Poor Beel is blushing red, and you feel slightly guilty for pushing him.

“Strong? He’s holding back from throttling me then?” you laugh, attempting to break the mood a bit for him.

“N-no… It’s… he…” he sighs. “It’s affection. Please. I’ve said too much.” 

“Beel, it’s ok. Look at me” his eyes, so much like his brothers, look sadly at you. _Who would have thought the most Gluttonous being in existence would have puppy eyes?_ you sigh inwardly to yourself. “I will not make you say more. Changing the subject – has he told you about the dream walking from the other night?”

“No, not a thing”

“Me either. Looks like we’ll have to ask”

“Well he did promise…”

“Who promised?” Belphie is dressed, only one button done up on his white hoodie but otherwise quite tidy in casual gear. You shake your head, and, placing the Little D back on the chair, you move over to him to do up the buttons; he takes hold of your hands. “Leave it. It’s a look”

“It’s something” you raise your eyebrows at him. “It looks like you sleep in a gutter”

“I may have done” he grins at you.

“We were talking about your dream walking from the other night. Are you going to tell us, or will we have to continue to wait?” you say with a cheeky grin.

“I’ll tell you both later today. If we don’t go to breakfast now, I think Beel will implode” he grins at his brother, collecting a cow-print pillow and putting his arm round your waist. “Let’s go down”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, Belphie wanted to be grumpy, and didn't approve the fluff writing over possibly sleeping.
> 
> Author (a) - C'mon dude. Just give us some fluff before your brothers start their chaos.  
> Belphie (b) - Nope. Let me sleep.  
> a) Wake up and behave.  
> b) Leave me alone *pulls blanket over head*  
> a) If you try me, you'll regret it... actually... I have an idea and you won't like it...  
> b) Ugh. fine. I'm up  
> a) Too late now.... *evil author laugh*  
> b) O_O
> 
> And I'm very tempted to use it. He may get seriously pissed off at me if I do.
> 
> In other news, I snorted drugs today (WAIT!!! It's a legal story, I promise). My prescribed medication decided it would like to take a different path, and instead of going to my stomach decided to try the route from my throat to my nose. It's a capsule with funny little beads in it and it took ages to clear out. 0/10, do not recommend LOL :P


	43. Fuel for the Spa Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast before the Spa Day. Did you expect no Chaos...? LOL.

Other than Lucifer, your small group is the first to arrive; it’s a haven of peace which is both odd and a small relief.

“Good morning. I trust you are all well rested” Lucifer greets you all as he sips his coffee; Beel and Belphie give an affirmative.

As you make to follow Belphie to the buffet, he stops you. “No, you take a seat. I’ll get something for us”

“But… I need to learn what I can eat!” you object.

He stands firm. “No. You looked after me yesterday. I want to take care of you today. Sit”

“Um. Woof?” you glare at him, and he laughs at your indignant expression.

“Please, let me do this for you. I wouldn’t have made it through yesterday without you”

“Hmmmrd mmmmrre” Beel attempts to communicate with his mouth stuffed full of food,

“And you, Beel” Belphie laughs.

“Beelzebub. Please eat at the table, not the buffet” Lucifer sighs, draining the coffee.

Swallowing, Beel walks over and takes the cup from Lucifer. “Sorry, I forgot. Let me fill this for you”

You sit quietly at the table, leaving a spot between yourself and Lucifer who quirks an eyebrow as he eyes your choice of seating. “I don’t bite, you know”

“I, however, do” you say. “And I’m pretty sure that biting you would be a death wish”

For the first time, Lucifer breaks into a laugh. It is short lived, but it lights his face up and he no longer looks so strict. “You are an odd one, aren’t you”?

“I am indeed” you smile. “No, I just wanted to sit between Beel and Belphie, I hope you’re not offended”

“No offense taken” he glances at Beel as he sets down the refill in front of him and thanks him; Beel has also brought you a coffee.

“Thank you Beel. I’d say you’re an angel, but… well, you know” He smiles at you and returns to loading his plate as high as possible; sneaking side glances at Lucifer and filling his mouth whenever the eldest isn’t watching.

Satan wanders into the room, digesting a novel as he walks to the buffet and greeting everyone with a nod and a slight smile. Belphie arrives back with your plates, both loaded with what looks like pancakes dyed deep blue though you’re aware that it’s more likely the natural colour of one of the ingredients, along with a small jug of bright orange syrup and a bowl of what may be cream, if cream was a vivid shade of lime green. _Now there’s going to be a clashing spectacle of colour on the plate_ you think with amusement as you thank your demon. He seats himself in the empty space you have left between yourself and the eldest. “I felt like something sweet. I hope you approve”

“I’m sure I will. Hopefully, it will sweeten _you_ up after your being so grumpy yesterday” you smile at him playfully.

“I wasn’t grumpy. Only tired”

Lucifer looks at you over his coffee, interrupting your banter. “Have you informed your… I’d say owner, but with the way you two argue it’s more like _husband_ … of your tea party with Diavolo?”

Belphie shoots a surprised look at Lucifer, blushing slightly, then levels his gaze at you. “What _tea party…_?”

“Oh that” you give him a shamefaced look. “I have been personally invited to take tea with Diavolo. I was worried about you last night and forgot all about it to be honest.”

“When?” Belphie asks in a flat tone.

“Next week.” You shift in your seat as Beel sits beside you with his plate piled well past his head.

“The whims of the ruler of the Devildom are important, human. I expect you to take them more _seriously_ in future” Lucifer gives you a hard look.

“I apologise.” You look down at your plate rather than have to face the first born’s glare.

He turns to Belphie. “Will you be attending with your human?”

Your demon snorts. “Am I _invited_? It sounds more like I wasn’t”

“Not personally” Lucifer says. “If you do not wish to attend, I would be happy to take the human on your behalf”

Beel interjects. “I can always take them for you if you want, Belphie”

Angrily, Belphie replies “In case you’re forgetting, Lucifer, according to your original rules, my human _has to go with me_.”

You place your hand on Belphie’s arm. “I’d like it if you went with me”. Glancing at you, he takes a deep breath calming himself.

An awkward silence falls, and you all busy yourself eating; Satan takes the seat next to the first born without looking up from his novel. The terse silence is only broken by Mammon and Asmo as they enter. “Awww there you are my little dumplings!!! We went looking for you in your room, I thought there was no way you’d be up this early! But here you both are, up and ready. I’m so excited for today!”

After loading their plates, the unlikely pair sit on the opposite side of the table next to Satan; Asmo chattering away about how good the spa is and his plans for the treatments you’ll get, and Mammon interjecting with a few thoughts of his own. Levi joins the group in amongst this chatter, nodding to everyone, headphones firmly on his head and eyes glued to his device.

Lucifer drains the last of his coffee. “I will see you all at the evening meal. I hope you have a good day. Please… _don’t_ embarrass yourselves” and with that, he rises gracefully and stalks from the room.

“Oooh. _Someone_ seems to be a bit…. _Stiff…_ this morning” Asmo laughs as soon as Lucifer is out of earshot.

Mammon chuckles. “Boyfriend trouble, ya think?”

“Hmm. I wonder who’s the top and who’s the bottom…”

Mammon snorts. “Luci would be the bottom. ‘Course he would. You really see Diavolo being the bottom?”

The table laughs rowdily, except you; your sitting stunned at how quickly the conversation turned.

“True, my favourite trashbag of a brother. He might be a _sadist_ , but I bet when he’s with him he’s just a masochistic _brat_ …”

“Umm….” Everyone looks at you expectantly. “Is…. Is he really dating Diavolo?”

The loud laughter that roars from the brothers is enough to make Levi start, dropping his DDD and cursing. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? You made me die. It’s so _not fair_ that I have to put up with you normies!”

Satan quirks an eyebrow at him. “The human asked if Diavolo and Lucifer are dating…”

Levi start, and laughs himself. “Woaaah… like for real? You asked that?” he asks you.

“Um… well people keep saying he’s his boyfriend, what am I supposed to think?” you ask, bewildered.

The table roars laughing again, and you flush beet red in embarrassment. Beel, thankfully, takes pity on you. “We say that because he’s always in his pocket and runs to him whenever he calls.”

“But it’s possible… he does seem to come back rather flustered quite often” Satan chuckles.

“Oftentimes, he seems to be walking quite stiffly” Asmo grins wickedly, then turns to you. “Sooooo… we’re between our paramours today, are we my delicious little sweetling? Is there a possibility of making your little ménage à trois into a…. _ménage à quatre_?

You _refuse_ to let him embarrass you. “Perhaps, but Mammon hasn’t asked so I guess it won’t happen” you deadpan.

Mammon spits his drink across the table, Levi splutters and Asmo roars laughing. Poor Beel blushes, looking bewildered and Belphie looks annoyed and amused all rolled into one.

“Oh, my sweet, I do declare you are a _depraved_ little kitten. Perhaps I should have said room for little me, regardless of numbers” he winks at you.

You sigh at him. “Asmo, honey, I’m not serious. And you know as well as I do that Beel is just a sweet, gallant teddy who’s looking after his brother’s interests.” You smile up at the giant demon; he’s still blushing profusely but he looks both relieved and pleased at your last comment. “And don’t dare tell me I’m as depraved as you, we both know that’s an absolute impossibility”

“Oh darling, never say never. I could help you become incredibly depraved…” he is staring at you avidly. You can feel the thunderstorm of anger and jealousy next to you brewing, and you place your hand openly on Belphie’s arm. “I hate to have to reiterate it, Asmodeus, but I’m kind of spoken for as you are well aware”

“Not by choice, my little gummy bear. Perhaps, given the option, you would have chosen elsewhere” the pressure in the air next to you grows.

“Perhaps initially. Belphie has been extremely good to me though, and I’m not about to do anything to anger him. So no, it’s not going to happen with you. Can I speak plainer?” You glance at Belphie, hoping you’ve managed to calm him. The pressure from his anger dissipates - but he is looking at you with what you could swear is a hurt expression. “Can we please just finish breakfast?”

“Ya, we have to leave soon” Mammon comes to the rescue. “Don’t wanna miss our slots” Thankfully this distracts Asmo, and he chatters about how much he needs certain treatments instead. You glance at the rest of the table – Levi goes back to gaming, taking bites between rounds; Mammon gives you a smug smile as he continues to distract and occasionally annoy Asmo. Beel is completely engrossed in his food and Satan is staring at Belphie with a contemplative look.

Belphie is toying with his food, ignoring everyone. “Hey… you going to eat that or play with it?” you ask quietly with a smile. He glances at you and doesn’t answer. “Did I do something wrong?”

He sighs, and finally looks at you. “No, I suppose you didn’t. I guess it was too much to expect that you might think about me as more than just… well” he turns back to his food, leaving you to your own thoughts.

Pitching your voice so only he can hear, you reply in consternation “Belphie, that’s not true, I…” you don’t get any further - Asmo pushes his chair back from the table loudly, rising.

“My darlings look at the time! We best leave _immediately_ ; we can’t possibly be late! Let us go make ourselves even more fabulous than we are already!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think the boys will behave on the way to and at the spa?
> 
> Nope. Me either LOL.
> 
> From all accounts Belphie is going to be jealous today. And Asmo is going to be a shit stirrer LOL =P


	44. Understandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awkward, yet apparently necessary discussion is had on the way to the Day Spa.

Taking your leave from Beel, Satan and Levi, the decision was made that your group walk the short distance to the day spa. Belphie is not well pleased by this turn of events, however Asmo and Mammon and their exuberant energy easily overruled him; as Asmo said, “You _can’t_ deny us a walk on a blissful day like this, the weather is simply _delicious!_ ”

“Delicious” weather, it turns out, is apparently much the same as a warm Spring day.

You and your demon follow hand in hand behind Mammon and Asmo, as they debate loudly about who is going to have the first massage; Belphie is silent and does not answer any of your questions. It’s not making for a pleasant walk, regardless of the weather.

Eventually, you pitch your voice so only he can hear you. “Belphie” He looks sidelong at you for a moment, but otherwise does not acknowledge you. “Are you going to discuss what’s wrong, or just sulk all the way to the spa?”

He does not answer; eventually you sigh and give up on waiting on a reply, turning to eye the scenery on the street, the multicoloured lights and the demons who scuttle about their own business.

“Am I doing something wrong?”

His sudden, quiet question startles you. “What do you mean?”

“Well obviously, you don’t see me as anything more than an _owner_.” He says bitterly, spitting the last word as if it tastes bad on his tongue “Just something to look after you and protect you. Do you not even see me as… as a friend?”

“Is that what’s troubling you?” You huff a small laugh and look up at him; his gaze is fixed ahead, anywhere but on you. “You think I think of you as nothing more than an overlord? Belphegor, please look at me!”

He turns his eyes to you, anger flashing bright and hot in their depths. “You wish to _see_ how this hurts me?”

You stop dead in your tracks, dragging him to a halt, arms now outstretched. “Belphie… stop this. I don’t understand how you could think that I don’t think of you as a friend. And a close one, at that.” You say, giving your interlaced fingers a significant glance.

“Why couldn’t you have said that to _them_ at the table?”

You _chuckle_ softly and say “Bad choice of words, perhaps. But I’m fairly sure they’re aware.”

“Asmo seems to think you’re _available_ for… well…”

“Does Asmo not think _everyone_ is available for amorous activities regardless of relationship status? Seriously, his actions aren’t anything to do with my intentions! Belphie, he’s enjoying riling you up, and the way you’re acting, you’re playing right into his little game!”

He looks at you thoughtfully for a moment, then sighs. “I know. I know you’re right. I just don’t want him - _them_ \- taking you away from me.”

You laugh at him “Belphie, they can’t have me. Do you not see that yet?” you begin walking again, judging that you have both dropped far enough behind Lust and Greed that they won’t hear your conversation. With a deep sigh, you continue. “Okay. I was going to have this conversation with you after the Soul Contract testing but it’s time, I think, that we come to an understanding, because your reactions are becoming ridiculous. Your brothers keep telling me that you have extremely strong feelings for me. I’m not asking you to confirm or deny it. However, if that’s the case, I suspect you’re curious as to mine.”

He’s silent for a long moment, then answers in a near whisper. “Yes”.

You close your eyes, and take a deep, calming breath. “Well, unfortunately, it’s complicated. _I’m_ complicated… the short version is… that I definitely see you as a friend”

You walk together in silence for a long moment. Finally, he quietly asks “And the long version?”

Blushing, you say “The long version. Um. The long version is that I see you as a close friend. That for me to feel more for anyone, you need to be friend zoned before anything else can grow. That I need to like who a person is first, it’s never an instant thing. That for you, I… there is a chance… that…” you take a deep breath, and your flush becomes more pronounced. “given time, and patience… I might… I mean, I-I…” you trail off.

“Oh” he says quietly, pulling you to a stop. His fingers lift your chin gently as he gazes into your eyes. “So, I have a chance to mean more to you. Is what you’re telling me?” he says softly.

You nod, imperceptibly, eyes sliding away from his as you do so. _Why is it so damned hard to communicate this feelings thing?_ you think to yourself in pure frustration.

His smile is wide and lights up his face. “It’s not _exactly_ what I wanted to hear. But you give me hope, more hope than I thought possible. I do have strong feelings for you. I’m determined to make you _mine_ ”

You snort a laugh. “I already am, my _dear_ owner”

“Not like that,” he says, laughing. “If it takes every day for the rest of my existence, I’ll do whatever it takes to make you want to be by my side of your own accord.” His eyes drop to your lips then gaze back into your eyes with an intensity that makes your breath hitch.

“Darlings, _devouring_ each other in the street may be a _wonderful_ act of exhibitionism but it will make us late for our bookings!” sings Asmodeus loudly drawing attention to your party. “But should you wish to put on a little _show_ , I’d be more than happy to watch later…”

You groan and look away from Belphie, laughing. “Asmo, you have no sense of timing” Belphie calls to him, amused.

“Oh, my darling sibling, I do too - if you’d like to find out….”

“Asmo, quit it” you laugh at him.

Belphie drops your hand and wraps his arm around your waist as you hurry to catch up to them. Asmodeus has a shit eating grin on his face, obviously enjoying himself immensely and poor Mammon doesn’t know where to look. “Y-you…. ya just _can’t_ do stuff like that on the street, ya know.” He mutters at you both.

“My greedy brother, they can, and they did… you’re just a prude” laughs Asmo, earning a sputter of denial of prudishness spattered with a number of interesting curses from the second born in reply. You make note of the newer, more interesting words.

Thankfully for your sanity or language skills, as you turn the corner you arrive at your destination. The spa is a large, beautiful building, built of black stone with a heavy Gothic architectural air. As you enter the doorway, a pretty demoness looks up from the front desk.

“Welcome!” she says. “Asmodeus, you’re looking divine as always, you really need no work done! But it’s always a pleasure to see you and offer you anything you take fancy to” she smiles at him in a way that makes her _extra offer_ quite clear.

“I’m always up for a happy ending…” he grins at her lasciviously. “Mammon, sweetie, would you like a happy ending?”

“Wha??? _Asmo!!_ I’m not some sorta perv! Knock it off will ya!” Poor Mammon looks like he’ll bolt at any second.

“That’s right, you’re a prude, I forgot… Perhaps my younger brother and his _consort_ can be tempted?” he looks back at you and Belphie.

“No thanks” Belphie hardly reacts to his teasing; you just raise an eyebrow and don’t dignify his comment with a response.

“And what is… _this_?” the demoness raises a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “I don’t believe my offer – or any of our services here extend to… _humans”_ she curls her lip in disdain.

You can feel Belphie stiffen at her disdain. “Oh sweetie, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want a happy ending from the likes of you anyway” you shrug at her.

“Oh so it’s permitted to speak, is it?” she practically drips ire.

“Yes” breathes Belphie through gritted teeth. “If you missed it, this is my _consort_. If they are unwelcome, then that’s fine – we shall leave. Well,” he addresses you, “perhaps you should discuss your treatment here with Lord Diavolo when you visit him next week… he did invite you personally and not me, so I’m sure he’ll ask how you find the Devildom…”

Asmo, who had been standing still and silent, looking quite horrified at your treatment chimes in. “Ooh, my little lambkin, I must say if you don’t then I shall. I had expected better, I apologise” he turns back to the demoness. “I expected better from you. And I do believe we will be leaving now”

“Asmodeus, darling, why would you be leaving us?” a new demoness sways into the room, approaching Asmo and kissing his cheek. “My love, it is good to see you. Is there a problem?”

“Meridiana, darling!” Asmo coos. “As always, you are _ravishing_. Only a small issue, your staff apparently take exception to humans”

Meridiana casts a look at the demoness at the counter, then sweeps her eyes over your party. “Mammon, a pleasure to have you here as always; please pay up front. And Belphegor, isn’t it? I believe we met at one of Lord Diavolo’s parties… who is your friend?” Her eyes coolly sweep you from head to toe.

Belphie answers “This is my human, _my consort_. If we are unwelcome, I’ll happily leave and take them home”

“No!!!” Meridiana answers quickly. “Any friend of the Lords of the Realm are friends of ours. And any issues will be seen to by me, personally.” She addresses you personally. “Please, darling, make yourself comfortable and if you have further issues speak to me personally.” Rounding on her staff member, she barks “ _You_. My staffroom. **_NOW_** ”

“Y-yes maam” she says meekly. Not meekly enough to shoot a dirty look at you when she thinks nobody is looking, though.

“Well then!! Welcome! Come through, let us pamper you as only we can!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't supposed to happen now. As I was writing in front of the TV - which always is bad writing and needs excessive editing, but I digress - Belphie decided to start an argument about the protag's lack of, you know, wanting to love and squish and be with him until the end of time.
> 
> So I shut my laptop and noped the hell out of there LOL. I wonder if watching Sanderton has affected this chapter, very much indeed. Too much Austin does make my language change, so perhaps we should blame it for romantic angsty stuff :P I don't read romance, as a general rule I read sci-fi; but I do like Jane Austin. And Shakespeare's comedies which I suppose fall into the romance category.
> 
> Today I managed to wrestle the little bastard into an understanding conversation instead of a full scale war on the streets of the Devildom. I can live with that. It's sooner than it should have happened, but I can deal. Perhaps he won't be as jealous. (Wishful thinking??)
> 
> Adulting all day yesterday, will need to adult again today. Would rather not, but one must do things occasionally.
> 
> Sorry - long end note! =)


	45. Hands and Feet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get some pampering at the spa.

A handsome young demon leads your group into the inner sanctum of the Spa – sans Mammon, who “won” the argument over who would have the first massage. As soon as Mammon had been taken away, Asmo turned to you both with his signature evil grin “That worked a treat, my little cupcakes! He’s so _easy_ to persuade to lust after something. It’s one of the best games, you should try it sometime!”

You’re directed to sit between Asmo and Belphie, as a trio of beautiful demons take their place opposite you all and prepare to manicure your nails. Everyone is so attractive here that you’re starting to feel decidedly… plain.

“Darlings, I’m so glad to have you both with me today! I love having someone else look after my hands for a change. Normally I’m the one who is looking after everyone, and it’s so lovely to be pampered”

“Asmo” you reply, “I’m not really great at manicures, but I could probably paint your nails for you if you need it done.”

“You’d do that for me? Awww, you’re such a _gem_! Belphie, you have hit the jackpot. Are you sure you want to keep them…?” He turns to your demon with a mischievous look in his eye.

“Absolutely certain” your demon smiles into your eyes; your little chat earlier has made his smile wide and his eyes sparkle.

“Well. I must say, you’re in a better mood now, brother dearest. What exactly were you two… _discussing_ earlier?

“Nothing you need to know about” his eyes are on you, and not his brother.

“Oh, do share with little old me, I like all the _details_ … were you planning a little tryst? Sneak off to a sauna for a little… you know…”

“No. Not a bad idea though”

“Belphegor!!!” you blush with embarrassment.

Your unlikely saviour is the young gentledemon filing your nails. “What colour would you like, lovely?”

“I… um, do you have a colour palette I may choose from?”

“Sure! Let me grab it for you” he smiles and gracefully moves to find it.

“I think you should match my nails” Belphie leans against your shoulder.

“Oh,” Asmo protests. “But I wanted to match!!”

“Asmo, I want everyone to know they’re mine. Yet you want to mark them with your colour?” Belphie gives him a significant look.

“Well, yes, they belong to you and to our house. How can a little extra markings hurt, all things considered…?”

You sigh; Asmo won’t let this go, you can see the determination on his face. “Guys. How about this for a compromise? I’ll match Belphie for the main colour, except for the ring finger of my right hand. Deal?”

Belphie grumbles an affirmative; Asmo smiles “Kitten, you are very diplomatic. Deal, but it will be nail art and I shall choose it.”

“I know what you’re like my dear… Therefore, I will have to approve it” you retort.

Chuckling he says “Ok, that’s fine, sugarlump.” Addressing your manicurist, he asks “May we please put some nail art on my little dumpling here? I wish to have this pink” he points at the immaculately painted palette of false nails “and my sigil painted in this gold”

Belphie sputters. “YOUR sigil on MY human? _Like hell you will_ ….’

You place your hand on his arm. “Belphie, I wear your sigil at my throat. What if I have it painted on this finger instead” you say holding up your hand and indicating the finger with his ring “surely it would make it clear that I’m under Asmo’s protection and _your_ ownership, wouldn’t you say?”

He looks at you flatly for a long moment “Diplomatic indeed. No wonder I want to keep you. Yes, my little…. _sugarlump_ , I approve”

You shake your head at him at the sickly sweet pet name, give his arm a squeeze and place your hands in front for the demon to give your hands an overdue overhaul.

“Hmmmmmmmm.” Asmo hums in _that_ tone that means he’s about to torment you both. “Sooooo. I’m curious. When can I expect to be an uncle?”

“Well not yet, sweetie. Unless you believe in immaculate conception” you state, in a matter of fact tone.

“My little vixen, why are you not taking advantage of my brother? From my observations, he would be most _willing_ to be taken advantage of… do you not find him handsome? He’s not as beautiful as me, or Lucifer for that matter, but he’s still extremely attractive, my little love chunks”

You blush. “Asmodeus… love chunks??? Seriously dude that’s getting bad. And I’m sure you are well aware that all of you guys in that house are handsome... but that’s never been enough to tempt me.”

“Oh reeeeally….” He purrs. “Do tell us _how_ you may be tempted …”

You roll your eyes and sigh. “Like hell I will, Asmo”

“Well you’re in hell, but for the record I know how to take you to _heaven_ …”

“Asmo.” you bark. “Stop. If I’m ready to be tempted in that manner at any time, you will _not_ be the one doing it. I thought I made it perfectly clear that I’m spoken for.”

“But _do_ you wish him to speak for you… that’s what I’m curious about…”

You turn and look him dead in the eye. “I do. I belong to Belphegor. And one day, perhaps he’ll also belong to me. If I have any sudden… _inappropriate urges_ , he will be the one who scratches them. I won’t be repeating myself, so I hope you have listened well.”

Asmo studies your eyes for a long moment, then answers quietly, without the normal teasing. “I hear you. I am pleased for Belphie, truly, that he has found a consort that values him. But, can I ask what… um… why you don’t find _me_ attractive?”

“You’re pretty, Asmo, but that’s not enough to tempt me.”

“Hmmm’ he purses his lips in thought. “Then I shall find the way to tempt you. With your demon, obviously, seeing as that’s the way the cookie crumbles”

“Asmo, you are completely and utterly impossible” you laugh at him. “What if I said I love ya like a sister?”

“I don’t identify as a female” he grins at you.

“Well then. Brother? Sibling? Take your pick, it all works for me…!”

He doesn’t answer, and you sneak a sidelong glance at him. A soft, pleased smile graces his face.

Your nails are completed in record time – you put it down to demonic speed – and with an inhuman precision. Asmo switches form to his demonic one, so that his talons can be also attended to; Belphie, with a sidelong worried glance at you, chooses not to. His reaction makes you wonder if he doesn’t want you to see him in that other form; though he’s been in it, it’s only been a glimpse. You all head to the massage foot bath chairs for the pedicure that has been arranged by your favourite fashionista demon.

“Oh, I didn’t know they had farrier services for humans” you quip at him.

He snorts. “You’re not that bad yet, but you’re getting there”

“Rude” you laugh back at him.

“Sorry” he grins. “Belphie never lets me do his toes, so he probably does need the services of a farrier” he arches his eyebrow at Belphie who just smiles amiably at him.

“Probably. It’s a wonder you haven’t snuck up on me while sleeping”

“I tried…” Asmo admits. “But you kick in your sleep”

It’s nice to see the light-hearted banter between the pair of them, and they tease each other for the duration of the pedicure; Asmo attempts to have Belphie get an eyebrow wax to which your demon vehemently declines.

“You will end up with a monobrow if you don’t attend to that thing on your forehead, it would be such a sin not to!!”

“Well as I’m a demon, I don’t see an issue…”

You permit yours to be dealt with, in an attempt to appease Asmo. He purrs in pleasure “Darling, I wonder if you’re always so happy to please…”

“No” you grin at him cheekily, “Not always, and not with everyone” Belphie chuckles and reaches for your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

As the polish on your toes is drying – again, matching Belphie’s – Mammon saunters out with a smug look on his face. “Man, that’s the _life!_ I could get used to that. Asmo, they said they’re ready for ya” he says, as he’s ushered over to the nail tables.

Asmo momentarily looks a little… is that guilty? It’s so quick you’re not certain, and he says “Oh-Kay!! We’re up, human. I booked us a couple’s massage”

Belphie’s grip on your hand tightens, almost painfully. “You… _what…?”_

“I thought I’d treat them to a couple’s massage. It must be so stressful living with demons, yes?” he continues, looking at his nails rather than Belphie who is starting to drop the barometric pressure around himself. You groan and glare at Asmo.

“Asmodeus, _why_ would you do something like that? Are you trying to make my demon lose his temper?”

“I…” he looks guiltily at you. “I was just trying to do something nice…”

“ _NO, YOU WERE NOT!!_ ” Belphie roars, drawing attention to your group; patrons and staff pause and stare at him. You turn to him, squeezing his hand as much as your blood-deprived one allows, and placing your free hand on his leg. The other arm of his chair, which he is gripping as if his life depends on it, makes an awful grinding sound of material breaking.

“Belphegor, look at me. I will _NOT_ be going in with him.” His eyes are glowing as he looks into yours, and you struggle not to look away from him.

“ _He. Cannot. Take. You._ ” he says through gritted teeth.

“Belphie. I am _not_ leaving you. Please, calm yourself. For me”

He takes a deep breath then growls “I know what he does in there. I know what happens in there and why he does these so called ‘couples’ massages. He had _no right_ to try to take you in there with him”

“No, he had no right, but it’s only an attempt. And from the look on his face, I think he knows he made a mistake to try it” you look over your shoulder at Asmo. “Asmodeus, you better have a damned good explanation for this”

“I... oh darling, I-I did want to tempt you” he hangs his head. “I was wrong to think that, I know that now, especially after the conversation we have just had. Belphie, I overstepped. I am sorry” he looks genuine, but you wonder if he’s putting on a show. “Oooh! I have a _wonderful_ idea! How about you two go in together! It’s simply too good to pass up!”

Belphie snorts. I’m not into the same sort of _massages_ as you, Asmodeus.

“No, darling, but you can just have a standard massage together. It’s perfect…. All that oxytocin! You two lovebirds will just be so blissed out on the love hormones… I can feel the increased affection already” his eyes glow.

“It might be fun to do it with you, Belphie…” you hope that a massage will help him calm down. Maybe even sleep; still better than his anger.

He’s silent for a while, your demon. “I…. Ok. Let’s go”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, I was going to talk about what the 7th of October is - the awareness day for Trigeminal Neuralgia (which is probably one of the biggest banes of my existence). If you cannot be bothered searching or copying the name, just search for "suicide disease" it will come right up =P awesome nickname isn't it...
> 
> But today has been a hectic day, and though I thought maybe it would be different the good old "may you live in interesting times" curse kicked in... and I have barely stopped. Ugh. I'm not even sure I'm happy with this chapter, TBH.
> 
> At least Belphie is happier today, even though Asmo tried to piss him off LOL.


	46. Payback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asmo gets a little of his just desserts.

You are extremely grateful that you are permitted to strip privately in a separate room to Belphie, before entering the room wrapped in a towel. Belphie is already sitting on the edge of his table with a towel wrapped around his waist; you hope he doesn’t note how your eyes lingered _just_ a tiny moment too long on his abs – considering the amount of sleeping he does, it’s surprising that he has such a good physique.

Seating yourself opposite him, you smile. “Well, you should get some sleep now!”

“Mmm” he says. “Maybe. Though I may need a sports massage, I’m tight in my lower back from sleeping on desks all day yesterday”

“I hope they know how to handle humans” you frown.

“Don’t stress about it. I’ll chat to them. Rocks will be out – you’re too fragile for their intense heat. And it’s probably a good idea to keep it to a gentle massage for your first one down here”

“OK. I guess I can trust your opinion on what to get best, so if you want to give them the directions, I’ll be happy to let you” you smile at him. “Just do it before you sleep please”

The two masseurs walk into the room gracefully, and as promised Belphegor talks them through the needs of a human – thankfully, one is trained in human masseuse and anatomy, so the process is easier and quicker than expected. You both lay down, and it’s at this point you realise that you’re expected to be completely naked. Belphie is already… completely naked except for a towel over his butt, laughing at the fact that you now need to go back and strip off more – you shoot a glare at him over your shoulder as you go into the other room to fix your oversight. “You could have told me” 

“I could have. But I also thought they may make you strip in front of me”

“You’re as bad as Asmo”

He snorts. “ _Nobody_ is that bad. And he probably would have insisted on changing with you in the first place - so no, I’m not”

Once this tiny issue is sorted, you lay yourself on the table and the demon looking after you arranges the towel so that they can begin their ministrations. They know their craft well, and the time blurs as you fall into a blissful state of relaxation from their expert touch. Their hands work from your skull to your feet in no time; you suspect there may be some sort of magic involved in the process as they know exactly where every knot is; the fuzzy, floaty feeling from Satan’s magic is present in your head, though not as curious – it’s soothing, and a little more playful and affectionate. _Reminds me more of Asmo_ you think with a small smile to yourself. Belphie snores throughout the whole process.

As the process is completed, Belphie re-awakens and is asked with a lewd smile from the masseur if that is _all of the services_ required of them. He snorts. “Thank you, yes. We will change now”; they leave the room as silently and gracefully as they entered.

With your towel in their hand.

You’re not game to look at Belphie to find out if you’re alone in this particular little… issue.

“Ummm… Belphie… I’m just going to stay here for a moment. You go get changed” you try to keep your voice emotionless, but it comes out a little too high for your liking. He glances over and laughs.

“Ah. You too huh. I bet this is Asmo’s doing, it has his stamp all over it…”

“Well. I will keep my eyes down, please go ahead. Once we are dressed, we must think of a way to be certain. And then _repay_ him for this…”

He chuckles again, rich and deep. “No, no – you go ahead my dear, I insist. I shan’t peek”

“After your recent ‘not looking’ example? _HELL_ no!” you laugh. “Get in there. Please.”

He walks into his changing room, chuckling the whole way in. Once you’re certain you’re alone, you run into the other room and throw your clothes on as quickly as possible – so fast that you’re out first, waiting for him on the other side of the door. The demon who was looking after Belphie gives you a smirk as he moves to walk past you – but stops when you touch their arm.

“Tell me something. Did Asmodeus put you up to taking our towels?”

They laugh. “How did you guess?”

“Oh, it has his signature all over it. I don’t suppose you could help pay him back, could you?”

“Hmmm. What do you have in mind, lovely?” he smiles lasciviously.

“Not what you’re thinking, so wipe that smile off your face. I don’t suppose you have a masseuse that looks like a sumo wrestler that’s trained in the art of Ashiatsu massage?” you smile innocently. “Oh and will offer him a happy ending, of course, he’ll be expecting one….”

The surprised and delighted laugh that comes from the demon is unexpected. “You are positively _wicked_ my dear – no wonder you are Lord Sloth’s consort. Darling, leave it in my hands. I will make it happen”

“You are a gem, sweetheart. I appreciate your extra service” you give him a wicked grin.

Belphie chooses this moment to walk out, and only hearing about an “extra service”, he looks instantly concerned and angry. “What service…? What are you doing to _my_ human…?”

“Oh honey, not to me. For me. Well us, I believe” you smile innocently. “You’re going to love it. But it’s a surprise and you’ll have to trust me”

He looks between the two of you, and sighs. “Ok, I’ll trust you. It best be warranted, or it won’t happen again”

“Oh, it’s warranted” you laugh. “Now come. I believe we are booked to have some crap or other put on our face”

“It’s a mask” snorts Belphie, amused. “Dare you to say it to Asmo”

“Dare…??? Hold my beer, dude…” you grin.

Asmo is making his way towards the massage room, being led by the masseuse who attended you – the other smiles innocently and says “Asmo, I have a special service for you today. Go on in, and I’ll get it all set up for my most special customer” they say, giving you one last quick smile.

“Oh _Sweetie_! I can hardly wait!” Asmo practically purrs as you try extremely hard to keep a straight face. “How was your treatment, dolls? Was it everything I promised?”

“And more” Belphie says flatly. “The towels at the end. That was you, right?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about” Asmo says airily. “Toodaloo, my little pipsqueaks. I must prepare for _bliss_!”

“And we must get some shit or other smeared all over us, I believe – we will leave you to it”

Grinning at Belphie, you turn and quickly leave for the next treatment, with Asmo’s indignant and inelegant squawking of “ _Shit_?? It’s not _shit_!!! It is divine! You don’t know what you are talking saying…” following you down the hall.

~*~*~

 _At least the mud that is all over your face and décolletage is the right colour for shit,_ you muse to yourself. _I must be sure to tell Asmo…_

Three of your party are covered in muck; you and Belphie with mud all over your body, and Mammon sits with you – naturally, he has chosen the gold masque treatment. Mammon is content, and the tightening action of the mask is making it hard for him to talk, so the piped binaural beats that are being played throughout the room are uninterrupted by his normal chatter. Belphie is once again asleep; and you zone out to auditory illusion created by the music.

When the timer alarms, and the goop is removed from you by the beautician, you rouse yourself out of your trance from the music feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Momentarily.

There is a high-pitched screech heading your way. “ _BELPHIE!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!_ ”

Asmo’s feet screech to a stop in front of your demon, face contorted in horror and anguish, Belphie is left bewildered. “Do what? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Asmo. What happened?”

“You don’t know…!!!! MAMMOOON!!!! It was you wasn’t it? It had to be you then!!!” Asmo’s rather loud ire is drawing the attention of the other staff and patrons alike. Again. It would appear your little group are good at disturbing the peace.

“ _Oy_ , don’t blame me, I ain’t got nuthin’ to do with nuthin’!! Ya got the wrong Demon!” Poor Mammon looks panicky, he seems to be wondering if it was, indeed, his fault.

“Well it had to be one of you two! I don’t know anyone else who would have done it!” Asmo sniffles. “To think, the likes of someone as _beautiful_ as me being put through that! It might have broken my bones and….”

“ _Asmo_. What are you carrying on about” Belphie groans at him.

“You seriously don’t know about the sumo massage?” Belphie’s eyes shoot into his eyebrows and Mammon chokes then starts laughing. “That… _gargantuan_ put his huge flat feet all over my back! It’s a wonder I wasn’t reduced to jelly, and then where would Devildom Society be without me? And then… then he had the _audacity_ to… he” Asmo’s face is going redder and redder as he stutters.

“Did he offer you a _happy ending_ , sweet pea?” you ask him, innocently.

“I… Gargantuan are so _unsightly_ … and their body odour! I just can’t…” he closes his eyes in mortification.

“So, you didn’t take him up on it? I thought you’d be up for any offers that come your way!”

“I cannot _stand_ unsightly things, sweetie!” he shudders, then turns to his brothers. “It really wasn’t either of you….?”

They both give their negatives – though they can’t stop from laughing at him – and he gives both of them a long, hard look.

“Who have you annoyed recently, Asmo? I’m sure you might have an answer if you think about it long enough…” _it’s amusing he hasn’t even considered it might be me_ you think to yourself.

“I…” his horns flicker in and out of existence, and he sighs. “You have a point, I’ll have to consider this...”

“How about we go have a nice spa treatment – I overheard they have a thermal mineral spa, it might make you feel better, Asmo?” you look at him with wide, innocent eyes.

He sighs. “You are an _angel_ , my pickle. Let’s head down there”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I enjoyed doing this to Asmo waaaaay too much. Not sorry LOL. It won't bother him for too long, I'm sure!


	47. One Hopes it's Sanitary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You sample the... "delights" of the mineral pools.

By the time your group has made it to the mineral pools, Asmo seems to have most of his bounce back - flirting with the attendants and gushing about the upcoming treatment. There are several demons already in the pools, lounging around in various stages of undress.

It’s at this point it hits you that you’re fully clothed and you wonder how you’re going to bathe. You have no swimwear and getting into a public pool sans any clothing at all is _not_ happening in this lifetime. Probably not the next, either.

Asmo has no problem with a lack of covering, nonchalantly stripping off as he is walking and sashaying into a pool that is surrounded by heat haze and steam; you avert your eyes, even if he has a perfect derrière. Mammon disappears off into some tents, obviously meant to be changing booths.

Belphie steers you over to what at first glance looks like a kiosk selling various drinks and iced goods. You’re relieved to see that they have swimwear available, although somewhat perturbed when you realise it’s for hire. With little to no choice left to you, an appropriate size in swimwear is handed over; you quickly change in one of the changing booths.

Your demon is leaning tiredly on the wall outside waiting for you. He smiles as you exit and takes your hand in his, leading you to a pool that you can tolerate; it’s quite warm but not about to broil you alive. The water smells slightly acidic, but the attendants have also added some sort of unfamiliar, scented foliage to the water; all in all, it’s pleasant to immerse yourself to your neck in the mineral water. The pool directly behind you is much warmer, and just happens to have Mammon and Asmo seated directly at your back – it’s convenient to converse with them where they are situated.

“Well I must say” says Asmo, with a long, contented sigh, “the last treatment may have been _unexpectedly_ interesting, but it’s removed that kink out of my back. I have had it for at least a century, must remember to request this again if it comes back!”

“All’s well that ends well” you grin at Belphie, who shakes his head at you and laughs.

“Indeed, my little bubble, indeed... Soooo, Mammon, you seem quite happy. Did you take my advice and get a _happy ending?”_

Poor Mammon sputters and you don’t need to look at him to know he’s bright red. “A-Asmo!!! I… You… What….!!! NO!!!!”

“Oh. Shame. You could probably have done with a little _extra_ added to your treatment, you’re always so tense, my little money grubber. Never mind. How about you two?”

“No, Asmo” you roll your eyes at Belphie. “We did not partake in the delights of our masseurs”

“Hmmm. You two are so uptight, you should consider doing something about that”

Belphie gives you a cheeky grin. “Perhaps, but we won’t need a masseuse for that”

“Asmo” you change the subject, blushing at Belphie’s implication. “Tell me. How does your magic feel?”

Belphie looks at you with an odd, slightly concerned look. “Why do you ask him _that_?”

“Nothing really, just wondered. I mean, I know how Satan’s feels, it’s… curious and a little prickly. In the massage room, they were using magic, weren’t they?”

Belphie looks at you, surprised. “Yes… but it was slight, you _shouldn’t_ have be able to feel it”

“Well I thought I could feel it, so… it reminded me of Asmo for some reason”

Asmo turns and speaks near your ear. “They were lust demons, darling. They would be a little like me. How did it feel to your senses?”

“Warm… playful… affectionate… that’s what I gleaned, anyway” you say thoughtfully.

“Darling! You do seem to be able to sense our magic. That is… _fascinating_. We must… _experiment_ with this further” Asmo practically purrs in your ear.

“Yeah. Ya have to see if ya can feel all of our magic.” At the mischievous laugh that leaves Asmo, poor Mammon blusters “Not like that, ya perv! I-I mean, just ta see if it’s a fluke”

You lean back and briefly ruffle Mammon’s messy locks. “I agree, Mammon. I don’t know how we’d go about it, but it would be interesting to see”

“ _Another_ fascinating thing… how do you know about Satan’s magic, sweetie? What has our dear brother been _doing_ with you?”

“Just checking I’m alright after my rather hasty arrival” without outright lying, you evade the question as much as possible and once again try to change the subject. “I’m going to need that yoga gear soon, Asmo. Where do you recommend for online shopping?”

There’s a snort from behind you. “Why ya askin’ _him_ about shoppin’? He ain’t ever gunna shop like me! The Great Mammon can help ya”

“They asked me first” Asmo says sweetly.

“Yeah, but you’re a perv. You’ll probably have them in cheek shorts and a bandeau”

“Funny that, I said close to the same thing” you laugh. “But that look is completely off limits. As are weird and wonderful slogans. I need something that covers enough and is comfortable, not something that states ‘Tasty Snack’. Or ‘Come Get It’ for that matter”

Mammon snorts. “Yeah. Well with him ya might just get it”

“Not if he ever wants to shop with or for me again, he won’t”

Mammon says “Next time ya come to me. I’ll get ya sorted. For a small price ‘o course…”

Belphie gives a grunt. “Typical of the two of you. One obsessed with his genitals, the other with his wallet”

“And you’re obsessed with sleep” you laugh. “I wonder if I could keep you awake long enough to get what I need”

“Hmm. Possibly not.” he grins at you, squeezing your hand. “Alright, Asmo – you can help my human, I’ll give you a budget though. AND. If there’s anything at all untoward on their clothing – patterns, words or anything else that I cannot think of in this moment - you’ll rue the day you were created”

Asmo makes a disappointed sound, you can tell he’s pouting – but you’re relieved that you have back up on this one.

“Oy! Why not me!!” Mammon sounds disappointed.

“Because you charge for your services” Belphie answers calmly.

“I… uh, maybe I coulda made an exception. Ya know. Just once”

Mammon sounds so disappointed, it’s hard not to take pity on him “I don’t want to be borrowing swimsuits again either. Hiring them is just… weird. I mean… I don’t know what has been in them before me…”

“They’ve been laundered, sweetie. But… oooh I could buy you swimwear too!!” Asmo is excited at the prospect of this. Probably too excited.

“I… one would hope it’s been laundered” you grimace. “But I was thinking perhaps Mammon can buy the swimwear, if he’s going to make an exception on his charges?”

You glance back at the second born, who is blushing bright red. “S-s-swimwear???”

“Yes. Becasue I trust you not to put me in something that resembles lingerie and has a decent amount of coverage.”

Asmo sounds sad. “You don’t give yourself enough credit darling. You would _totally_ rock looks that you don’t approve”

“While you’re my favourite fashionista, Asmo, you don’t have a sense of propriety… and I need to feel comfortable in what I’m wearing” you laugh.

“I do too have a sense of propriety!!!” Asmo protests.

“Sure, if that’s what you call casually flinging your clothing everywhere in front of all and sundry as you stripped off to get into this pool”

Belphie interrupts. “Mammon can buy the swimmers. Again, budget. Don’t go over it, and don’t buy yourself anything” he gives Mammon a significant look.

“O-oh. Alright! You can rely on me!” The second eldest looks pleased to be included. “I mean, of course ya can rely on me, I’m the best person ta come to anyways. I work with all the best fashion houses! But ya can’t just do that online, we gotta go in to get it”

“Oh. Oh, I suppose you have a point” you sigh. “I’d hoped to avoid trying it all on”

“No fair! I wanted to take you shopping for your Yoga gear and you said no!” Asmo whines.

“You have taken me shopping before, Asmo. I do _not_ want to spend a day trying this stuff on. We can do it from home, and I could paint your nails or give you a facial after if you like” _Please, please_ , _please let that be enough of a compromise _you internally beg to any listening deity.

Asmo is pleased, thankfully. “Now that sounds like a wonderful plan”

Belphie smiles and puts his arm around you. “Now that’s settled, how about we relax for a while and just enjoy the water”

You and Belphie do this – as much as possible, at any rate, as a debate commences behind you between the model and fashionista about where to shop, and eventually devolves into a slanging match of insults as they fail to see eye to eye. Groaning quietly, you lean into your demon. “Do you think they’d notice if we just left…?”

Laughing he says, “Sooner or later, I’m sure they would… want to give it a go?”

You both sneak off out of the pool and into the changing booths without being noticed; after quickly dressing you can see they are still deep in their argument about who knows fashion better.

On the way out the door, you’re stopped briefly by Meridiana. “I do hope you both enjoyed your time here – and I hope to see you both again. Once again, I would like to apologise for your treatment in the beginning”

“No hard feelings” you smile at the beautiful demoness. “And you know what they say, a bad start is a good finish. It’s been lovely, please pass on my compliments to your staff”

With that, you and Belphie are able to make your escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about missing yesterday. Long story short, I was cross at something in RL. I couldn't concentrate. I tried, but didn't happen. I went shopping (which I don't do in a pandemic). Now, I must run to go to the beach with a friend, so I'm rushing to quickly get this up seeing as it is done.
> 
> I’d half written this chapter when I realised… how is our protag getting into this pool, if they are wearing clothes….?
> 
> Not happening LOL… this chapter was already partially written and let’s face it, this fiction has some suggestive references and some cursing (not my full colourful vocabulary of curse words) but no smut. Writing Chaos is too much fun, for starters, and secondly this situation - a nude protag sitting in a room behind he-who-cannot-keep-it-in-his-pants has the slight promise of turning into a full-blown orgy, but in the vein of this fiction is probably more likely to piss Belphie off enough that he’d rip the room apart in a full-blown bloodbath! 
> 
> Time for a small revision, it was. I HC Belphie as being the type who’d saunter around nude in his own house but not the type to enjoy a naturist colony. Canonically, it seems he doesn’t sleep in the buff. Perhaps he gets cold when he sleeps. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this though, because it’s always fun to flesh out this stuff LOL.


	48. A Cunning Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick escape, a late lunch date with Beel and... one of the worst plans in the History of the Devildom, possibly.

The journey home from the spa is quite peaceful and pleasant, now that it’s just yourself and Belphie walking hand in hand on the path. The weather is still quite lovely; the afternoon reminds you of the twilight evening light of the Human realm. You find yourself sneaking sideways looks at Belphie’s profile; his company is growing on you to the point of the beginnings of a true attraction. You wonder how sensible you’re being, considering he must have some evil tendencies that he must be hiding. _Only time will tell_ you muse.

Clearing your throat, you quietly say “Thank you for taking me today. And for agreeing to buying the workout gear and swimwear. I feel like I’ve been a bit of a drain on your finances”

Squeezing your hand, he glances at you with a smile. “I don’t mind. It’s not like I spend much, anyway. Taking Beel out for dinner has been the biggest dent in my finances to date” he walks in silence for a moment. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Well… I do, but I was hoping we could have it brought from my belongings in the Human world. It makes no sense to keep spending your money on things if I have them somewhere else” He doesn’t answer, remaining silent for a long moment. “If that’s a problem, I mean, sure there're other things I need… but it’s just needless waste!”

He sighs. “It’s gone. Everything you owned is gone”

“What do you mean it’s gone?” you say, shocked. “How do you even know?”

“Because” he looks at you with what looks a bit like embarrassment “They took everything”

“They? Who’s _they?_ ” you look at him, bewilderment written across your features.

“Those who sacrificed you…” you frown as he continues. ”They were quite thorough in their research for a… _victim_. I don’t like calling you that, but nevertheless… they followed you for weeks and knew where you lived” 

“I…” you are momentarily as a loss for words. “I had no idea.”

“No, I figured as much” he sighs. “They’ve now wiped your existence clean, it’s as if you never existed”

You’re silent, feeling a bit ill at the thought of being under surveillance for so long, and a bit horrified at the thought that you no longer have any existence in the world you knew.

“Hey, stop frowning. All’s well it ends well… I mean, you have me now, don’t you?” He gives you a lopsided smile.

“Um, I think it’s more the other way around, considering I’m technically your pet” you grin at him.

“Or maybe I’m your Sugar Daddy. Sugar Demon?” he says, grinning at you mischievously.

“ _Belphie!!_ ” your eyes widen at him, and you give him a playful shove which, all things considered, probably didn’t hurt him in the slightest; he just laughs heartily at your reaction.

“I… um, you still have to fill Beel and I in on the visit you paid them the other night.” Changing the subject feels like the safest option right now.

“I will… I promised as much. Actually…” he drops your hand, fishing out his DDD and tapping the screen. “Let me check if he’s on the way back from the game yet. They must be done, or very close to it” He nearly trips over a crack in the path from walking without concentrating – which he glares at for a long moment, not that it does any good as the path doesn’t seem to feel guilty at all. You laugh and you both stop on the verge for a moment.

“OK. Sent…” there’s an immediate reply, and he chuckles, a warm smile on his face. “Oh, he’s home. I asked if he wanted food. I swear those messages are sent direct to his brain, not his phone…”

“Beel the bottomless teddy bear” you laugh, causing Belphie to look at you with a frown.

“Teddy? You think he’s cuddly?”

“Not as cuddly as you. But he does give good hugs” his frown becomes deeper. “Stop that. You know he thinks of me as a sibling. Would you prefer that I don’t think of him as a _brother_ by extension… especially when you guys are so close?”

“As long as you come to me for cuddles and not him”

“I do, in case you didn’t already notice. I don’t understand why you’re always so jealous of your brothers, Belph!” He blushes at the affectionate shortening of his name. “So… you just offered to empty your wallet for him, did you?”

Looking mollified, he hums his assent. “Something like that. I have told him it’s only a snack though, so he’ll only expect something more like a three-course meal for 10. I know we only had it the other day, but… Hell’s Kitchen ok with you? They deliver fast and I’m getting DevilDash to deliver…”

“Fine by me!”

“Any requests?”

“Not really, I don’t mind”

“We could just share something” he glances at you for your reaction to sharing with him.

“Sounds like a plan. Perhaps you can introduce me to some new human-safe foods” He smiles and nods.

Considering the amount of food Belphie is ordering, he’s done in no time at all. “Geez. That was quick!”

“It’s easy. I just order from the history when I order for Beel. It’s easy to add on something quickly too” he smiles and pockets his device. “Now let’s hurry, so we get there before the food arrives, or our share might disappear magically into my brother!”

It’s a good thing you both hurried back to the House of Lamentation, because the delivery driver pulls up just as you are half-way to the front door. Belphie calls on some Little D’s to help carry the food inside; you note that they are all purple demons today. They’re bigger than your little guy too, you realise, when a blur of purple and black screams down the stairwell and wraps itself around your legs, making you giggle. “Hey little guy, miss us did you? How about you go call Beel for us, and we’ll set this all up. Where shall we take it, Belphie?”

Glancing towards the kitchen, and common areas he states “I don’t want us to be disturbed this afternoon, so down here is out. As soon as their back home Asmo and Mammon will come find us because we ditched them… so the Attic and Bedroom are out too” he looks towards the ceiling, thinking. “Huh. There’s _one_ place we won’t be disturbed… but it’s a bit… _riskier_. Are you up for some more mischief…?”

“More? I don’t know what you mean…?” you say with your best impression of a completely innocent human.

“Suuuure… we both know you were behind Asmo’s _massage_ incident…” He laughs. “The look on his face was absolutely priceless by the way”

“Oh, I know. And he deserved it” you giggle. “Ok, Slothman, where to then…?”

~*~*~

 _This is an **exceptionally** bad idea,_ you think to yourself as you stand outside the door surrounded by a small hoard of Mini-Sloth-D’s and your very own Little D, who is looking up at you as if you’re the best thing that ever happened to him. And a very sheepish looking Beel, hand on his stomach, looking sadly at Belphie, conscience torn by the whole scene before him.

Belphie is muttering to himself, hand on the doorknob to the room he’s decided would be the best place to hide away from everyone. As he said himself… nobody would expect us in there, and the usual occupant is busy.

Lucifer’s bedroom, because he’s busy with Diavolo.

There’s a soft _click_ , and Belphie swings the door open with a shit-eating grin. “We’re in!” He strides into the room as if he owns the place and turns back to you and Beel – little D’s already inside and setting the food up _On Lucifer’s Bed_. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“Belphie, I don’t think this is a great idea. Why can’t we just use the kitchen?” Beel says mournfully, puppy eyes turned on full force at his brother.

“I told you – we’ll be interrupted! Now come on. There’s plenty of food in here, aren’t you hungry?”

That’s enough to tip poor Beel over, and he races into the room setting himself up on Lucifer’s satin sheets surrounded by his snack-come-feast. Belphie turns to you, and grins. “Come on! Get inside before we’re seen!”

“Belphie, I really don’t have a death wish” you say worriedly. “You guys aren’t quite as fragile as I am, you know. And you’ve all mentioned Lucifer’s… sadistic streak. He’ll kill me!”

“It’s fine, I promise. I’ll protect you…” Belphie promises, and is interrupted by his brother who thoughtfully swallows instead of speaking with his mouth full for a change. “We’ll protect you”

You shuffle reluctantly into the room. “How did you know how to get in here, anyway?”

“That? Oh, Satan got it from Mammon. I’m not sure of the details, but we’ve been meaning to prank him for a while”

You look around the room – huge bed, artwork and decorations on the morbid side, a coffee table…

“Ok, can I ask why the food isn’t on the coffee table?” you raise an eyebrow at the twins.

“Oh, that’s easy. Crumbs in the bed are annoying!” Belphie smirks.

“Are you _wanting_ us to be found out??” you look at him incredulously.

“We won’t be, it’s fine” he wanders over to the chess set and moves some of the pieces of the game that is in play around randomly on the board. “We’ll cover our tracks”

“Not if you keep messing with his stuff” you shake your head at him.

“Stop stressing. Come, let’s get comfortable on the bed and eat before it’s cold” he holds his hand out to you, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to SilverScribblerX for the invaluable conversation today which lead us to the commencement of a rather chaotic bedroom scene that has no smut therein LOL. 
> 
> It's very close to my treatment, and I'm struggling a bit - sorry guys, it may not be daily updates for a bit. I'll try to do every second day at the very least. Also, there's been RL developments which mean I need to stay away from home after my treatment (Thursday and Friday AEDST). I don't know how this will pan out in many ways, so if I go AWOL you know why.


	49. Paying Homage to Lord Muck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch on Lucifer's bed... and Belphie gets into mischief.

Your demon takes you by the hand and leads you to Lucifer’s ridiculously large bed. “Geesh. This bed is overkill. Is he overcompensating?”

Beel chokes on his mouthful; Belphie just grins at you and says “I wouldn’t know, and I don’t intend to find out”

You all settle down to enjoy your late lunch/mid afternoon snack-feast. Belphie has chosen some sort of shared platter for you both; he removes a couple of the items. “Not safe for humans. Beel, can we swap for some of your Devil Spiced Batwings?”

“Shmmmure” There’s no pausing for breath from the glutton, as grease drips down his chin and onto Lucifer’s satin sheets… he attempts to remove as much as he can, and manages to smear it all over the sheets in the process. Belphie just gives a wicked grin and removes a couple of the wings as he hands over the unsuitable food.

“Try the wings” he hands you one. They are spicy, and crunchy and _delicious._ As you bite into it crumbs fly everywhere, and you look at Belphie with wide eyes. He laughs. “Don’t fret. It’s all part of the grand plan…”

“You really think we’ll get away with it? I mean… anything food related leads straight to Beel!”

“Mmm. True…” says Belphie thoughtfully. “So… let’s just…” he runs his fingers through some of the grease in the packaging, and smears it across the sheets in a vaguely body-shaped area. “Now it looks like someone who wears a lot of _lotion_ has been rolling around on the bed” he says with a grin.

“But the crumbs…”

“Well – everyone eats sometime….”

“You’re positively diabolical” you grin at him.

“Of course I am – it’s demon thing, that” he chuckles. 

You all settle in to the meal, Belphie talking you through what each thing is. His eyes are shining, and he looks genuinely pleased that you’re enjoying his choices. The Bat Wings are definitely a firm favourite, and he’s thrilled that you’re adventurous enough to try the HellSerpent Skewers (a bit chewy, but the flavour makes them pleasant) and the 7th Level Spiderlings (Huge, hairy but actually quite tasty). The slimetoad is not edible; he finds the face you pull hilarious as you try to spit it out in a napkin and not all over Lucifer’s bed.

“So” you say, crunching on a Spiderling and passing a leg to your Little D, who chitters at you happily. “Are you going to keep us in suspense, or are you going to tell us of your meeting?”

“Right. Where to start…” Belphie looks at his hand, which is holding some of that god-awful toad.

“The beginning?” you reach for another batwing, slapping Beel’s wrist as he attempts to steal from your shared meal instead of his own. He swallows. “Sorry”

“Yeah, of course” Belphie smiles cheekily at you. “So, I went to sleep and entered the dreamscape… they weren’t all sleeping so I had to wait. While I was waiting, I just wandered around and…”

“Geez not a blow by blow account, smartass!” you laugh at him.

“Ha. Well. Once they were all sleeping, I pulled them into my dream. Think of it like a bubble, I guess. I can watch from outside or enter; I watched them for a bit. They were all uncomfortable and twitchy which was what I wanted – dealing with those types, you need to have them on edge. They discussed what they thought I wanted. My message had been very vague, intentionally so.” He smiles at you. “It helps to build their suspense. They knew I hold the key to _everything_ they desire, and that they were to wait on this meeting for further details. And no further gifts of course” he smiles and touches your knee. “I made it clear I was pleased, but one gift of this sort was enough”

“ _This sort_ ” you snort. “Way to flatter someone”

Chuckling he adds “I think you’re more than enough for one being – human, devil or angel”

“Better” you try to grumble but it’s likely ruined by the slight blush at his comment.

He reaches over and squeezes your knee. “Anyway. They seemed to think I’d want to sacrifice one of their lives for the rest of the information and were busy arguing about who meant the least to the project. It was quite entertaining viewing. Mid argument I just quietly entered and stood in the corner… then asked them what if they were wrong… in full demon form of course, just for a _little_ added effect. The look on their faces was priceless” he chuckles.

“Why have you not shown me your demon form?” you ask.

“I’ve been in demon form around you…” he glances down.

Motioning to his brother who is listening quietly whilst shoving food into his face, you add “I’ve seen Beel, albeit briefly, when we first met – but I was behind you then. And the Mammon incident was a blur. I know you have a fluffy tail, it’s kind of cute!”

“I… demons aren’t cute” he blushes.

“I’ll be the judge of that… so do I get to see it?”

He glances over at Beel who is grinning and chuckling to himself. “Not now.”

“Is that a no…?” you raise one eyebrow. “I really don’t want to find a way to make you cranky enough to switch… but if I have to, I will”

“I will show you. Not now. Not in front of Beel…”

“I’ve seen it before” Beel gives him a mischievous grin. “It’s not like you have anything to hide… go on Belphie, show them!”

Belphie makes a strangled noise and flushes redder. “I thought you wanted to know about the meeting?”

Laughing at his flustered state you say “I sure do, but can’t you continue telling me while in demon form?”

“I… I could but I would rather show you later. Will you humour me?” he pleads with his eyes, and you can’t help but soften.

“Fine. Continue with your story. But I’m holding you to later…”

“Ah.. where was I?” he drums his fingers on your knee in thought. “Ah. Yes. They all froze then some of the silly buggers dropped to their faces in some sort of worshipful pose. Like that would appease me” he rolls his eyes. “Once I managed to get them off the floor and seated to face me… I told them they would all enter a contract with me if they wish to have the rest of the puzzle.”

Beel speaks. “What terms did you give them?”

“They forfeit all of their souls in 10 years’ time” he shrugs. “Fairly standard, there’s nothing now or in the future that they have to offer me. They tried offering part of the earnings. Should have tried Mammon, not me…”

Beel nods, wiping sauce from his chin. “Yes. Standard. What did they say?”

“Oh, they pleaded for more time and for anything else they could think of – but I have said that’s the terms, they can take it or leave it.” He runs his hands through his hair. “I will reconvene with them next week, and they can accept or refuse. They know their answer will be final, I’ll not give another chance.”

You grab another skewer of the serpent, picking the meat off the skewer – feeding the first to your Little D, and dipping a second piece in hot sauce. “What if one of them refuses?”

“Deal is, all or nothing. It caused a lot of _drama_ on the night. They know they have a week to argue it all out. I don’t really care what they do, to be honest.” he chuckles as he recalls. “One of them did ask about you though.”

“ _Me???”_ you say incredulously. “Why??? I didn’t know any of them!!”

“Apparently, one of them took a shine to you and wanted to know what I’d done with you” he shrugs. “She was relieved that you’re alive and well, it had caused her some guilt. She’s asked if I can bring you to the next meeting”

“That’s absurd” you shake your head. “Why would they even care? I don’t get it”

Beel interrupts, reaching for another bag of goodies. “You do have a knack for making demons like you. So it’s probably the same for humans” he gives you a small smile as he removes the contents.

“I’d like you to be by my side at the next meeting” Belphie is looking at his hands rather than at you. “Will you come with me?”

“If you really want me to, I suppose so…” you frown. “

“I do” he looks at you too intently. “Plus, I can show them that I’m a demon of my word. And that when I told them that I… _treasure_ my sacrifice… it’s not words, but fact”

“Then I’ll go” The intensity in his eyes burns into your skin making you flush and look away. _Change the subject. Anything….!_ you think to yourself, a little flustered. “Ah… Why is there a _skeleton_ in the corner???”

“Because it’s Lucifer” Beel says in a non-answer around a mouthful of food.

“Huh. It’s not exactly a _fashionista_. It’s a wonder Asmo hasn’t changed his… attire” you eye the ragged hooded jacket that is hanging like a sack from the bones.

Belphie grins at you, like the cat that just caught the canary. “Huh. That’s… _not_ a bad idea”

 _Me and my big mouth_ your eyes widen. “You’re not…”

“I am” he grins. “Any suggestions?”

Snorting a laugh, you counter “A pink tutu and a tiara”

Beel chuckles his deep baritone laugh that thrums through the bed into your bones. “I don’t think there’s any of those in here”

“Have you searched his wardrobe?” you laugh at Beel. “You never know, he may surprise you…”

Belphie wanders off grinning to himself, and you can hear him in Lucifer’s walk-in wardrobe opening drawers. “Not thus far” he calls. “But we have… huh, silk pyjamas that match his sheets. How incredibly like him… ooh here’s his favourite flogger and handcuffs… And the key to the handcuffs. Must make use of that” he walks out, places them on top of the coffee table, adding a black nightstick and a leather face mask to the top of the pile.

“Belphie, I don’t think this is a good idea” Beel laughs, not making any move to stop him as he cleans up the last of the food on your plate. The little D looks at him and crossly speaks to him in its own language. “Sorry” he tells it, handing it a scrap.

“I don’t care” Belphie calls back. “Now. I could put it in his RAD uniform, or one of his suits…”

“It needs a tie” you supply helpfully.

He exits the wardrobe, black shirt, pants and red tie in hand. “OK. Here’s the new outfit for Mr Skeleton. Come help me, Pillow” he grins at you.

“Lucifer will kill me if I’m involved” you protest, laughing.

“He will never know. Now come on!”

Laughing at one another, you both start working on how to detach the skeleton from the ceiling; fortunately, its arms are just hooked onto the roof and it’s easy enough to get down. The old garment is easy to remove, and the pants prove no issue to put onto the bones, tied up with one of Lucifer’s gold chain belts. The shirt requires a little more effort, and you both laugh as you tug it over the bones. Belphie works on the gimp mask (you _don’t_ want to know why Lucifer owns this) and you work on the tie. Getting the darned thing back up is not an easy feat; in the end, you both need Beel to re-hook it to the ceiling.

“Now, for my _pièce de résistance_ …” Belphie chuckles. He ties the flogger into the hand of the skeleton, and handcuffs it’s wrist bones together, pocketing the key. Finally, he uses the nightstick to create a… _tent_ in the pants of the skeleton.

“Belphie, you cannot leave it like… _that!!!”_ you motion at the nightstick.

“Oh I can and I will” he gives you an evil grin. “We will be above suspicion if it’s left like that.”

You laugh. “Damn. I hope you’re right…”

“Let’s make our escape before he gets back” Beel calmly says, cleaning up the excess packing, handing it over to your Little D familiar for disposal.

After smoothing out the satin bedsheets, Belphie sticks his head out the door. “All clear” he says quietly over his shoulder.

You all make your escape as quickly as possible, door closing quietly behind you as your party of three make your escape to your own bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, kudos to SilverScribblerX for the conversation that lead to our Skeleton... Gotta love a good prank. Luci should be "THRILLED" by the discovery LOL. And help with the chapter title LOL.
> 
> Belphie was pleased to be let of his leash and cause chaos. He will be contented for a while, I hope...!


	50. Demonic Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally convince Belphie to show you his demon form

The bedroom door to the twin’s room closes with a soft click. The brothers begin to laugh hard, tears forming at the corner of their eyes and rolling down their cheeks as they double over in their shared glee.

“I’m glad you’re amused, gentlemen” you say with a smirk as you sit on the chair beside the bed you share with Belphegor. “I hope you’re both just as amused when Lucifer decides to stick you in an Iron Maiden”

Beel wheezes as he attempts to form words. “He doesn’t have one anymore. He broke it”

“He… how could you break… you know what, don’t answer that, I don’t need to know. Nevertheless, I’m sure he has other devices…”

“True” Belphie wipes at the corner of his eyes. “But I think he’ll blame Mammon or Asmo. I can’t _wait_ to see the look on his face”

“Oh, poor Mammon. He has been quite kind in his own way. Asmo, however…” you smirk. “Still, I don’t want to see him hurt, if I’m honest.”

Beel’s smile is the biggest you’ve seen on his features outside of anything food related. “I doubt it will come to that if it’s _Asmo_. He doesn’t get in as much mischief as Mammon. Besides, as he’s not being embarrassed publicly it shouldn’t be too bad”

Belphie chuckles and sits heavily on the edge of the bed. “Unless he brings home Daddy Diavolo”

“Uh… ok…? Does he do that often?” you ask.

“No” Beel says, wiping his eyes. “He rarely comes here at all”

You look between the demons for a moment quietly. “So… what’s he like?”

“Who, Diavolo?” Belphie grimaces. “He likes to preach like an Angel. Mostly about peace between the realms”

“He’s cheerful and good-natured” Beel adds.

“But… what can I expect, when I meet him?”

Laying back onto the bed, Belphie looks at the ceiling as he answers. “He’ll be friendly with you. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, everyone here seems to take a liking to you” he adds with a small frown.

“You’ll be treated well.” Beel interjects with a smile. “And Barbatos’ sweets are the best in the Devildom. I… don’t suppose you could try to bring me some home?”

It’s impossible to deny a huge demon who has puppy dog eyes, it appears. “I’ll try my very best for you, I promise.” You smile at him, and he looks pleased.

“You’re the best! I’m glad Belphie kept you”

Grinning sardonically, you reply “Oddly enough, so am I. I do not want to consider the alternatives”

Beel sighs and stretches his arms above his head. “I suppose I should shower. Haven’t had a chance to do that yet”

Belphie leans himself up onto one elbow and looks at Beel, surprise and amusement written on his features. “What do you mean you haven’t showered yet?”

“Well, you messaged me about the food delivery, and I got distracted…” he blushes.

Laughing, Belphie asks “So you’re telling me you not only dripped sauce on Lucifer’s satin sheets, you also added your own special post-game funk to them? That is _priceless_!!”

Poor Beel is still looking guiltily at his feet. “I… well yeah, I guess…”

“Don’t worry too much about it, Beel. I couldn’t smell anything, so I doubt it’s too bad” you smile at him. “Go clean up, you’ll feel better”

He gives a sheepish smile as he grabs some clean clothes and makes his way to the bathroom. “I may have a bath. Pulled a hamstring earlier, might be a good idea to try to relax it a bit” he says, as he shuts the door.

As the door closes, Belphie sighs his breath out, and rolls to stare up at the ceiling. “You have to be nice to all of my brothers don’t you”

“What’s wrong with that” you retort. “I do have to live with you all, and if being nice to your brothers eases our path with them, I really don’t see a problem”

Belphie hums. “Perhaps. Just make sure you’re nicer to me”

You huff out an annoyed breath. “You seriously think I’m not?”

“Well, I do when you’re not napping with me” his tone is teasing as he smiles at the ceiling. “You should be over here next to me right now, I think. I need a good long snooze with my pillow”

“I don’t think so” you give him a cheeky grin.

“And why not?” he turns to look at you, eyebrows raised.

“Why, because I’m holding you to a promise…”

“What promise??” He looks genuinely puzzled, sunset eyes looking into yours. They widen suddenly as he realises. “No…. you can’t be holding me to that right now…?”

“Ooooh yes I am. Demon form. You promised” you chuckle at his growing blush. “Why don’t you want to show me?”

“I… you don’t really want to see it. Surely”

“Yes, I do. So c’mon, just do it”

Belphegor looks at his nails for a long moment. “Ugh. You’re not going to give in on this, are you”

“Nope, not unless you want me to tell Lord Muck who redecorated his room”

“You wouldn’t dare” he looks horrified at your threat of disloyalty.

“Want to try your luck?” you raise your eyebrow at him.

He sighs dramatically. “Fine”

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, he gives one last heavy, put-upon sigh. The air pressure changes, making the hair on your arms stand on end. A dark cloud surrounds your demon as his form melts from human to humanoid, curly dark horns sprouting from his skull and caressing his forehead, clothes morphing into spotted pants and asymmetrical poncho over teal shirt, a long tail with a fluffy tip appearing from behind him. “Happy now?” his tone is grumpy, but the look on his face is anxious and self-conscious.

Standing, you approach the bed and stand in front of him. His tail twitches anxiously, hitting against your arm, and you grab hold of it making his eyes widen. You stroke the incredibly soft fur against your cheek; if you thought Belphie was blushing before, now he’s putting a tomato to shame. With your other hand, you reach out and touch the tip of his horn. It’s surprisingly cool and smooth - like black volcanic glass.

“Why?” you murmur to him

“W..why what?” he stutters, eyes looking everywhere but at you.

“Why didn’t you want to show me your demon form?”

“I…” he says quietly and looks down at his feet. “I was worried you’d find me… _horrifying_ or…”

“It suits you” you smile at him, stroking your fingertip along the curl of his horn.

“You… think so?” he replies tentatively.

“I do think so, cowboy” you give him a cheeky grin. “I like it”

A slow smile blooms across his features, and his eye sparkle. “So, I’ve been worried about you seeing me like this for nothing”

“Pretty much” you laugh at him. “Why on earth did you worry? It’s not like I didn’t know what you were. About time you showed me! Besides, you keep saying you want a Soul Contract; if we’re to be tied together like that better to do it sooner rather than later” your hand drops from his horn to your side, but you retain your grip on his tail.

“I suppose” he smiles up at you, taking your now free hand and lacing your fingers in his. “So, can we nap together now?”

“Sure” you say, with a smile. “But one question”

“What is it?”

“Why the holes in your sleeves? Do you need air conditioning?”

Laughing, he tugs on his poncho and says “It’s darned warm in this thing. Now come here, I need that nap” With no further ado, he pulls you onto the bed and clamps you into a vice grip, making you squeal involuntarily.

“Hey, you didn’t have to drag me around like a rag doll, sloth man!” you protest, laughing.

“I couldn’t wait any longer” he chuckles, as he arranges you to cuddle him, his tail snaking across your torso to hold you closer to him. “It’s been a long day of not having you to myself”

“Possessive much” you crane your head up to smile at him.

“Well, that’s one way of looking at. But I would say it’s just a lack of having some quality time with my favourite pillow”

Snorting, you snuggle into his chest. “Right. I believe you. Millions wouldn’t”

Falling silent, you listen to the beat of his heart through his chest, and the sound of his sigh echoes in your ear. As the minutes drag on his breathing slows, and you relax as you start to drift into an afternoon nap.

Unfortunately, the peaceful reverie is broken by the sound of Belphie’s phone receiving a message. One message becomes two, then another and another... “I’m going to curse whoever is doing this” he growls, as he drags out his DDD and unlocks it, then groans. “It’s Satan. He wants to test for the Soul Contract _now”_

“Right now…??? But that takes a bit of time doesn’t it?” you murmur, feeling slightly drowsy.

“He thinks we can have it done by the end of today. But I _don’t_ want to leave you” he pulls you tight to him.

“I don’t want you to either” you sigh “but… we’d have all tomorrow together in compensation, I suppose”

Belphie is quiet for a long moment then with a regretful tone he concedes “You have a point. I’ll go now. But tomorrow, you’re all _mine_ ”

With one last quick hug, he extracts himself from underneath you and sits up. “I will attempt to make this as fast as possible. But I may not be down for dinner. Save something for me?”

“I will, and I’ll also do my best to stop Beel from eating it” you smile up at him.

He smiles back, and sighs. “Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as I can” and with that, he walks to the door. As he exits, he glances back at you still looking regretful, then closes the door softly behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I've been absent for such a long time with no explanation.
> 
> Things have changed quite dramatically and it was sudden. There's been two family health issues (not mine!), and I have finally found work. Full time work will take all of the energy I have, and there's absolutely no way I'll be able to keep on with daily updates. 
> 
> Having said that, I've been trying to finish this chapter. Wrote it and lost it in the first few weeks because I forgot to save before the computer updated, then I couldn't remember what I'd written and ended up blocked. Maybe I wasn't in such a fluffy mood. I'm going to try to update weekly now, but with chaos around I'm not sure if I can keep to the schedule; it may be more erratic, I'm sorry. The intention is good but the brain is addled.


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